Whatever It Takes
by robotdragonx1
Summary: AU Shirulu Story. Lelouch's rebellion against the empire is going well, but keeping things from the student council, Suzaku, and his girlfriend Shirley is taking its toll. And as events unfold, Shirley tries to find her place in the bizarre events unfolding around her.
1. Peace

_"Guess what papa! Someday when I grow up, I'm going to be your wife!"_

_She was walking with her dad back from school to go to the ice cream shop. Shirley had just placed first in the spelling bee, and that was good enough to merit an award from her daddy. "Oh, that's very sweet of you honey...But your teacher told you, didn't they?"_

_"Huh?"_

_Children really were great. There was a joy in sharing the good things of this world with them. "Someday you'll meet the man you really love."_

_"More than I do you?" Joseph paused to phrase this the best he could to her._

_"Hm...It's hard to explain...Well...If you truly love that person, and he cares for you just as much, then that would make me the happiest father on earth."_

_"Oh well...If you say so, daddy! That sounds wonderful!"_

_Joseph chuckled. A smile like that was his joy. "And it will be, honey. Now, what flavor would you like?" They continued walking down the street._

_"Cotton candy!"_

_"Well, if they have it, then I don't see anything wrong with that." Joseph and his daughter walked downtown, a smile on both their faces in the late spring sunshine._

* * *

_There were panicked voices all around. Fading in and out in blurred vision._

_This person's time had come, or so they thought it to be. And it was better this way. They were inserting needles and pins into his arms, yet he didn't feel them. As the world began to fade from him, his mind went back to that morning. It wasn't by his own will but rather the flow and chaotic nature of his thoughts bouncing around until they settled at last._

* * *

"Lulu?...Lulu!"

"Wh-what!?" He jumped, almost knocking over his drink as he flinched back into reality.

"...Wow, you're really out of it today...Is something the matter?" Shirley leaned across the table, trying to read his eyes and see if there was anything wrong.

"Oh, no...I was just kind of up late studying, that's all." Shirley smiled, her red-orange hair shimmering in the morning sun.

"Well, it's good to be studious, but have some time for yourself." A nod, her boyfriend's cheeks a little red after going the whole day without being distracted.

"What were you saying?"

She swirled her milkshake in a circle."I was asking..Why do people have to fight? Wars, I mean...So many problems in this world can be solved if people are just willing to communicate, you know?"

"Hmm. Things are pretty complicated when you think about it though. Some countries hold old grudges. Others need resources and simply can't find another way to get it." She nodded.

"Yeah...And people don't always want to listen.."

"Indeed. It's an unfortunate part of the world we live in. If people would just let go of their pride, we wouldn't have to see others pay the price for it.."

She fell silent. "Do you think Zero has ever thought of that?" Lelouch bit his lip. He took a long sip of his drink. He cleared his throat at the thought, watching the cars outside slow themselves in front of the traffic light.

"Perhaps he does...And he just really thinks what he's doing is right...He doesn't want to fight, but you know.." She nodded. A solemn look for such a well-dressed girl. This morning, she'd chosen her sleeveless pink top and white bandage dress. Something casual, but in her taste. Outside, a man had fallen on the street. A dirty brown bag of groceries spilled out all over, and the balding civilian stumbled all over as he tried to pick up cans and bottles alike. The people outside only frowned at him, stepping over the food as they passed.

"Oh no...Be right back!" She dashed out of the diner, orange hair flailing as she went. Shirley was quick to find every can that wasn't ruined. The few that were were tossed, and the ones that she could grab, she gathered into her arms. But without a bag, the man couldn't possibly carry his items. Lelouch watched with a certain wonderment as she ran to the counter, asking for some doggy-bags. The server, a Britannian as it would seem, nodded without even bothering to look at the man outside.

Once Shirley had the bags and darted out to hand them to the man, Lelouch could fully see that his eyes were slitted between those wrinkles. A common feature of an older "eleven." As soon as his bags were ready, she waved him off and he seemed to give her a "thank you" in return. She walked back inside, wiping her brow. "Did you see that? No one even stopped to help out.."

"That's how things are, Shirley. He was an eleven, you know." She raised a brow and looked back outside. The short man had made it to a stoplight. From the distance, one could make out a slight smile on his face.

"I guess he was," she said. She came back to him. "You know...I think he really is a good person. Zero...I just wish...I don't know."

Lelouch took another sip. "What's the right thing to do and what people do in their day-to-day lives aren't always the same." Another few seconds for the noise of the restaurant to settle in just long enough to make her next few words stand out.

"...Do you think he's doing the right thing?" Another one of those questions. He adjusted his collar, letting some of the air in.

"'Not quite sure...There's a lot we don't know about him. But he does give the elevens some hope."

"I guess I just want it to end soon. You know..my father.." Lelouch clenched his cup, then stopped to make sure she didn't notice.

"...I don't hold it against him...It was his fault, but I know he didn't mean to do it." A pounding arose in his chest. Once again, Lelouch was forced into a battle between his demeanor and his emotions. Shoving the pain back down there, he nodded. "There's something good in all of us...And it sounds a little weird, I know, but if I keep hating him for what he did, then I'm no better than those people that hold grudges. Do you know what I'm getting at, Lulu?" He nodded again.

"...I suppose letting go of the past is the only way we can move forward.." Lelouch cleared his throat.

"Yeah...Sorry for getting so personal with you. I just wanted to get it off of my chest. Y-you don't mind, do you?" A soft tug from Lelouch and the couple pulled close to each other.

"Of course not...Come here.."

Shirley got up, smiling. Her meal was pulled his side, and they smiled as she leaned into him. "My girlfriend's secrets are safe with me...Alright?"

"Please don't tell Milly...I don't want her to go around saying I have a crush on Zero or something like that, okay?" Even now, the class president had a knack for showing up at the most random of times. Shirley's eyes were on the watch for a blond head of hair hiding in the hedges somewhere nearby.

"A promise is a promise.." She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek before finishing her sandwich. They would go for a walk in the park, then a movie. They'd share their thoughts on the film, then go their separate ways. "I hope you had a good time today!"

"Of course...Do you want to do it again next Friday after school?" Having woken up a little groggy this morning, Lelouch hadn't expected to enjoy being so active on a busy day in the settlement like this.

She sighed. "I have a swim meet that night.."

"Then I'll come to watch. Just promise me you'll do your best, okay?"

Shirley's eyes lit up. "Give me a kiss for good luck!" He looked around, noting how many people in town were passing them by. Though there were complete strangers, he knew for a fact that his partner-in-crime occasionally slipped in and out of town to spy on the two of them.

"Well...I don't know.."

"You're not even going to give me a kiss goodnight?" There it was. that adorable pouting. He knew she could forgive him, but they hadn't had the chance to get together for a long time. Britannia was becoming more and more aggressive since the arrival of Cornelia, and it wouldn't be long before he'd have to move them to another outpost. This time was precious. Pizza-lovers be damned.

"Sure" A sigh, and a resignation "...Come here."

"Hmm...Thanks.." She leaned in, and he felt her bangs tickle him as their lips met. A touch that he craved when the battle was difficult and the grim reaper crept between Knightmare gunfire and blades. Her lips slid against his, reigniting a candle in him once again. "Well..goodnight! Be safe!"

Across a short distance of cobblestone, the raven-haired boy bid farewell. "Bye! Love you!" She blew him a kiss, wistful and smiling as she scampered off into the night.

"I...I l-love you too!" And as much as that was true, it still felt a little odd for him to say it in front of the entirety of Area 11. His face was still a little warm as he walked back the street. A familiar voice purred from behind.

"Is your chest still fluttering...' Lulu?'"A sly giggle. "Have a nice day, Casanova?" Lelouch groaned, keeping his pace going as she walked to his side. "You're risking us both by coming out here like this, you know that, right?"

"I didn't follow you the _whole_ time. There's a nice pizza place just a couple blocks from that diner you were at. Too bad you didn't come. 'Would've made it a bit easier."

"She's not going to like it when she notices another girl following us.."

"It won't be a big surprise. You've got the entire female student body drooling over you. Someone's bound to be jealous." He decided to give up. C. C. had been competent not to have been caught yet.

"What's the status on the next outpost?"

"We're setting up a couple in Yokohama and a new squadron of Knightmares is being shipped from Hokkaido to the western coast near Mt. Fuji."

They had been doing so well at their current location. Faculty and supplies were able to move to and from the site with little issue. "Any reason why?"

"Ohgi's paranoid about Hokkaido and I don't blame him. The princess has increased security around that area for the time being." Both of them were walking down the path that would take them to the nearest bus station, watching the faces and heads amongst the crowd as they went.

"We'll have to tell our forces over there to lay low until I can think of something." His head swirled with the thoughts of his sister at the helm of this. Childhood memories clashing with frustration. They'd always joked as children that should Lelouch become the emperor, she would be made the greatest general in all of Britannia. Now, the latter was what prevented him from usurping the very same throne.

"So, do you want to still mill around out here?"

Shaking his head, Lelouch took note of the sun falling beneath the clouds. "No...Let's go back to the clubhouse...I need to check on Nunnally.."

* * *

His little sister was asleep by the time he'd returned. A soft crack of light quickly shut out as soon as he could see that. Each one of his footsteps left a gentle pound through the halls. Peaceful noise challenged by the quiet air. Silence truly was a blessing. Much like Shirley, Nunnally was quite the pacifist. The news of Clovis and the deaths in Shinjuku had torn her to pieces...It would be a necessary burden for him to carry in the time being. As for Shirley...Her pondering on Zero had been an anchor on his thoughts all day.

_"If I told her tomorrow...Would she still love me just the same?" _Anyone normal would run from him if they knew the truth. He figured the student council wouldn't expose him, but the smiles he loved so much would disappear. He'd become an outcast. Just another face in the student body, and all meaning in his normal life would cease. Perhaps one of them might get nervous and let the secret out. He slipped into his room and locked the door.

"That girl of yours...She's quite the idealist, don't you think?" C. C.'s sudden remark broke through the peaceful silence of the clubhouse, as it often tended to when he was in deep thought.

"Nunnally? Yes, of course.." Though she was sure to grow out of it with time. A sad truth he'd accepted long ago.

"I mean Shirley. The one that Mao...Well, I'm not going to go there.." Words trickled off, the two feeling a certain weight float away with it. Slender male fingers gripped the side of his bed frame, feeling the small markings etched into it.

"That's why she can't know...Not yet.." C. C. Reached into a private pizza fridge she'd won from a contest at a local establishment.

"When do you plan on telling her? This charade can't last forever you know.." Lelouch sat down on the bed, staring down at the fine strands of his rug.

"...She'll be in danger if she knows." Taking a bite, she glared at him for a good minute. Abrasive as his partner could be, she was still at the very least, concerned when needed.

"And _that's _why I told you not to get involved. Didn't I say-"

"Keep the ones you love at a distance? Yes, I know...But there's still a chance.."

She pulled out the freshest slice she could find, examining the patches of baked cheese. "And yet, you're still going to fight fate knowing this? I've met more than one man in my life who gambled like this. Very few were ever successful.."

"You prove my point. A small chance is all I need."

"Heh...Defiant as always. I'm going to go check out the microwave. Be right back.."

She wandered off, pizza in hand as Lelouch was left with his thoughts. He had to be strong. The greatest men in history had carried the burden of thousands, if not millions of lives on their shoulders. Especially the ones they cared about. And yet, it ate at him every day. For each laugh with Rivalz, he saw him murdered by Britannian assassins. For each event with Milly, he saw her being incarcerated with the rest of the Ashfords for colluding with a criminal. For each memory shared with Suzaku, he imagined being impaled by the Lancelot's slash harkens on some fateful night. Nunnally being sent back to the homeland, Nina joining Milly in prison or forced to serve the empire as a two-bit scientist's lab assistant, Kallen on the run for the rest of her life or killed outright. Shirley...

"That. won't. happen.." He stood back up and went to his phone to plan the next mission.


	2. Fear

_A loud cough erupted from his chest as he felt a shock go through him._

_"CLEAR!"_

_One more jolt and the pair of pads that had been slammed on his chest were pulled back. "We've got him! Now for-"_

_"We have to put him under now...He's not going to be a happy camper if he is awake with something like that." Voices again faded in and out, becoming more and more clear as time went on. It was brightly lit, and he could just start to make out a tingle on the right side of his abdomen...And then once again, it all faded to black._

* * *

The battle had come closer than She'd expected. Worry broiled in her chest, as the news reports showed more and more Black Knights forces advancing into the city. And _he_ was out there. "Milly...What do you think is going to happen?"

Milly was going over the map displaying the safety exits for the school. "We just have to stay calm. We need to put on a strong face for the school. It's going to be alright guys."

"They've begun moving students into the gym for shelter. Should we join them, Prez?" Rivalz glanced over the map as well.

"We'll stay here and keep watching what happens! Rivalz, get the TV over here!"

He did as he was told. "Where's Nina?" Shirley gasped. Last she'd seen, the young genius looked as if she were on the verge of losing it if she hadn't already.

"No idea. She's disappeared since...This afternoon." Nunnally rasped.

Yes...this afternoon. Euphemia had suddenly ordered the deaths of the Eleven population, and then everything was silent. Shirley had noted how disheartened Nunnally was by all the fighting. Truth be told, she too had been hoping for some kind of peaceful solution. Euphemia had seemed so bright and cheerful after coming to their very own school to make the announcement.

Now the skies and city around them were in a roar of fire as the Empire and the Black Knights clashed. "It's too dangerous to go wandering around for her," Milly sighed. "I just hope she's not in any trouble." It took some tinkering with, but they managed to get the old thing working again and found the news channel. For the next hour, they watched, huddled together as the legions of knightmares advanced further into the city. From what it looked like, they were hell-bent on reaching the Britannian embassy towards the city center.

"..Does anyone know where my big brother is?" Nunnally's question tore through Shirley. Her thoughts went back to that note...The one in her own handwriting, hiding beside her dresser.

More booming ripped through the night. Somewhere, a metallic crackling lined the night sky. The scientists on TV had described the sound so perfectly that it felt as if Shirley's imagination was coming to life in the worst way possible. "No idea, Nunna...Maybe he's gone to one of the shelters?"

"That crazy moron." Rivalz groaned. "Of all the times to go out and gamble by himself, he chose today!" The girls all glared at him. "What? I know you're thinking about it too!"

Shirley felt needles of worry pierce her head. The closer the rebels got to the center of the city, the harder the Britannians were fighting. It was like watching a tsunami slowly build itself on the ocean. Just replace the water with mortar and rubble. The news reporter was about to cover what was happening on the south side of the city when she stood up in objection. The broadcast fizzed out, and they were left with only static. Judging from the last time they'd seen the city map, the Black Knights were converging on their part of the city. "That was it...The last broadcasting station. They're all down.." And then the doors to the council room opened. Three elevens, all of them dressed in the uniform of the Black Knights pointed their guns at everyone. Shirley felt her chest pound as the man with reddish hair and a maroon bandana shout

"Hands up and turn around! The Black Knights control the school! All of you are now our hostages!" Rivalz wasn't going to take it so easily. Frowning, he stood in front of Milly (of course) and cried "Lower your guns!"

The armed Eleven seemed a little perplexed. "That's a hell of a thing to say in this situation!"

Behind him, Arthur hissed. Everyone backed up, not sure if to take cover behind the desks or rip their foolhardy friend from his imaginary frontline. "Rivalz!"

"Come on, let me be cool for once, okay? I'll protect everyone!" The eleven sneered.

"Is that a fact!?" All of a sudden, the butt of his gun was raised to beat him down. Shirley clenched her fists as she watched Rivalz brace himself when a familiar voice called out.

"STOP!" All eyes were now on the caped man in the mask. Violet visor, dark helmet, and a cape black as pitch with golden trim. Zero. The leader of the Black Knights himself had appeared to them in person and in full costume. She thought back to that date...And the note she found. "I specifically told you not to use violence." Next, to him, a girl in a red pilot suit and a familiar shade of red hair stood diligent.

The leader of the armed rebels frowned. "Yeah, but you said this would be our command center, didn't you?"

"Your command center!?" Milly felt a trickle down her spine at the thought of letting her remaining family legacy be harboring a terrorist in his hour of conquest. Zero explained his intentions. He didn't mean to harm any of them, but Shirley still felt shaky about the whole thing. Even if they weren't direct targets of anyone, the armed man and the fighting throughout the settlement brought to mind the possibility of getting caught in the crossfire. Thoughts of her family, Lelouch, and where they all crept back. The red-haired girl stepped forward.

"Please, Rivalz. Don't argue. Do what he says.." With a simple tug, her visor came off. Kallen's visor came off.

"K-Kallen!?" First, the leader of the Black Knights himself had made them personal hostages, and now their own friend and council member was a Black Knight!?

"Well, well. There's a surprise around every corner, isn't there?" Milly sighed. "Do I have your word that no one will be hurt?"

"As long as no one leaves the student-faculty offices or classrooms, they'll be fine.." But there was something else bothering her. That voice. It just felt..So familiar. Comforting, yet devious all the same. A nagging in the back of Shirley's mind told her that somehow, someway...Zero had done something...

"I want..I wanna know what you did to me.." Kallen was taken aback, not quite sure what her friend or rather,_ former_ friend was saying. "I was so terrified, you have no idea! Both of you did something to me! Tell me the truth!" Shirley demanded, fighting back tears. "How could you...How could you?"

She felt her chest fall in on itself with an invisible weight, just as one of the rebels ran in "Zero! It's the Lancelot!" The leader of the rebels gave a satisfied nod.

"I knew he'd come!" An odd sense of triumph boomed from beneath the mask. As if nothing else in the world could satisfy him more than this scale of enemy reinforcement.

"Suzaku.." That was right. He was the one given access to pilot the Lancelot. He had been acting as Euphemia's knight. Could she have survived and sent Suzaku to handle the situation? The rest of the night was just as surreal. Sleep tugged at Shirley's mind throughout as the excitement wore away at her, but the few moments of rest she got were interrupted by the occasional blast outside. Then the adrenaline, then hours of worry and fear. Finally, Suzaku's Lancelot had come to save the day..or so they thought. All hopes of leaving the school alive or uninjured were dashed when the Knightmare was rendered incapacitated. Still, the empire pressed on and achieved victory. Eventually, the Black Knights were forced to retreat...Of course, after "Zero" had seemingly vanished from the battlefield.

No news reports about his death. No other signs about where he was. She watched Nina as she nearly blew the entire settlement into oblivion with some crazy weapon she'd concocted in her private workspace. Every heartbeat stopped when her classmate pressed the button. Instead of being blown away in whatever fantastic explosion she'd intended, Nina was subdued and taken away by the Empire's forces.

"H-have you heard from him?" Rivalz tapped Shirley on the shoulder as the sunlight trickled over the horizon. All around them, students were in endless chatter about the night's events, and none would ever forget it as long as they lived.

"Nothing...Do you really think that...?" Rivalz stopped. Her face had begun to contort a little. Each tiny muscle movement putting out sparks of hope. Even if he did have his bad habits, Lelouch was still very much his close friend too.

"...He's a crafty one. Even if he found trouble, I'm sure he's going to be alright.." She could tell that he was just trying to comfort her. There was a slight uncertainty in his eyes, but it would have to be enough.

"Thanks, Rivalz..."

The sun was beginning to rise. Students were being gathered in the courtyard at the center of the school grounds and taking a muster. Milly excused herself to help tally up the numbers.

Shirley waited until she was counted amongst the student body, then waited until late into the morning. "Lelouch..." She rested against the windowsill, propping it open to watch her classmates as they moved about the campus. "Why didn't you tell us?... Why? We would've helped you...We're your friends after all! I'm sure you had a reason to..." She thought back to that warm summer day. The train ride to Narita in her best dress, and the bag with the body…A soft choke escaped her lips.

There it was again. That subtle line. Lelouch was a good guy. At least the one she knew. Willing to help on student council projects and play along with Milly's madness. And he was also a terrorist. Or was he just a puppet head for them? No. No, he was piloting the Knightmare that was leading them that night.

She shook her head, hoping the thoughts would fall off. Nothing. "This is going to drive me crazy...I wonder how mom's doing.." Her thoughts nagged away as she reached for her phone. A few rings. Another one. Just when it seemed like no one was going to pick up, her mother's voice clamored out of the receiver.

"Oh thank heavens! I saw the news and had a heart attack!" Breath rasping, she imagined her mom's state as a frail middle-aged woman barely able to hold onto her own end of the line.

"We're fine mom! Milly, Rivalz, and Nina.." Shirley didn't even notice her words trailed off.

Her mom was still breathing heavily, and barely even noticing her daughter's unfinished sentence. "What about Nina? That sweet one who's really smart?" Nina had met her once when Shirley's mother had visited Ashford and had left a good impression on her.

"It's nothing mom. She's going to be fine. Right now they're making sure everyone is alright, and then we're supposed to get orders from the military."

A sigh from her mom. "So nothing's happened?" It'd been mere hours since the Black Knights had fled, but she felt it best to save that for later. She didn't need to have her mom pass out on her at a time like this.

"Uncle Johnny and Aunt Katie are fine. So are Patricia and Kenneth, thank heavens. They were evacuated before the battle reached their house...I don't know how they're going to deal with all that damage.." They talked back and forth for a while. Her mother kept on pressing for details about what had happened that night, and Shirley decided to mention that the fighting had reached somewhere near the school, but never on the property. When she found out later, She'd just play it off and pretend the Lancelot was on the other side of the school. It still felt bad to have to lie to her like this.

"Well, I'm about to let you go...Just be careful out there, sweetie...Your father would've been worried sick. He's watching us you know."

"Yeah...I know mom. I miss him..."

On the other end of the mic, she could hear her mother sniffling again. "He wouldn't want us moping around and mourning him though...He'd want us to celebrate life. I love you, Shirley. You're the best gift we've ever received."

"Thanks, mom. "I love you too.." It always hurt to bring that up. It was barely even a couple of months ago. It felt wrong to try to forget about it, but sometimes it was just too painful. She cried in her room sometimes when Sophie wasn't already there. But her mother was always about facing the pains and trials of life whenever it came. That was something she admired about her.

"Oh by the way...You didn't mention Lelouch.." A sinking in Shirley's chest.

"Oh...Lelouch?"

"That boy you're always swooning over. How is he doing?" Concern piled itself in her mother's voice, traveled through the mic, and into her chest.

She cleared her throat away from the phone, trying and failing to sound inconspicuous. "I think he's helping with the headcount. It's been crazy tonight, and I haven't seen him in a while.."

"Well...when you have a good man in your sights, keep him there. Do you understand?"

Yet another little quote mom liked to hang over her again and again. Shirley could practically mouth the words before they spat out of the receiver. "M-mom, I've got it under control, okay!?"

"And yet, Milly tells me you still haven't said anything to him!" Oh dear god. She couldn't believe this.

"Now she's talking to you!?" Her mom stifled a chuckle. Shirley felt so fumed that she nearly forgot the situation at hand.

"Time for me to go. Kisses."

"Kisses," She sighed, putting the phone down on the counter and leaning back. It was strange. Emotional whiplash at it's worst. These last few weeks not knowing about Lelouch, then suddenly reading that note...What did that white-haired man even do to her?... And why was he calling her out for...

Her fingers gripped the seat. The raindrops falling. That kiss that she...

He'd never even had a girlfriend. Nor was he very active in finding one. That man was right though...If Lelouch was a liar, then so was she. But she'd been desperate! His lips touched hers before she even knew what was going on, but...

This was becoming too much for her. With a long sigh, she took off her coat, removed the green tie around her neck, and rested it on her chair. Shirley collapsed on the bed, and she stared into the wall. Around her, the world continued to spin into a confusing spiral she feared she would never be able to escape from. And then she did. As the wave of Geass's influence spread over the campus.

NOTE: The story is finished and I"ll be uploading daily. Thanks for reading~!


	3. Distance

Shirley is sitting in the lunchroom. Mostly empty tables and a few stray students trying to sneak in some last-minute study time. There was still some decent time left, so she started going over her open essay for Literature class. There were a few points that the teacher had noted were a little lacking and she was looking over a possible way for them to prove her point. A tired young man sighed loud enough for everyone nearby to look over. "What's up?"

"Finishing my homework...Like _someone _should be doing.."

"Hey, hey _one time_, okay? I did mine already by the way. Where are YOU with that stuff?"

"Almost done," She beamed. "How many corrections did you have?" Rivalz glanced at her and stayed silent.

"...Exactly..."

"I've got other things on my mind.."

"Like what?"

"None of your business!"

Rivalz's attitude put her off a little. "What's the matter with you? You're the one who came over here..."

"Right..." He leaned his back against the edge of the table. "So uh...What do you think Milly likes to do with her free time?"

"What?"

"Milly...Her free time. What she likes to do when she's not doing the student council president thingy?" Shirley put a finger to her lips, letting a sly grin and a slant of her eyebrow cross her glance.

"Oh gee, I wonder why you wanna know that..?"

He glared at her. "You know why..."

"Boy do I..."

"It's just...I figured you'd understand. Your situation with Lelouch and everything..." She slammed her book and leaned onto its cover.

No change in his expression. "And what makes you think there's something going on with me and Lelouch?" Shirley's eyes were fixed on the blue-haired boy.

"You just said it. I didn't say anything."

She huffed, trying to mill over her paper again, before giving up. Images of that handsome young boy flashed into her head and wouldn't leave, like a pest in the walls of your home. A handsome, kind, and diligent pest. They had just met recently, and already she couldn't get him out of her head. "Alright, alright...This doesn't leave the lunchroom, got it?"

There he was, giving her a grin that did little to reassure her. "I don't know if I can promise that.."

She shook her head but decided to speak. "Well...Milly enjoys art museums quite a bit. She and I went to the one downtown." Already, her friend wasn't looking too excited.

"The ones with the statues of naked guys? Sorry, but I don't have the time to get a body like that..."

Shirley ignored him and continued. "And we talk about our favorite books and eat some burritos. She loves those.."

"Yeah..." Rivalz groaned. He was pondering over the options, and there were very few. "And I don't think she could ever be into a guy like me..."

For once, his joking demeanor went away. Even when things seemed a bit grim, they could always rely on Rivalz to come up with some quirky comment. Whenever he was crestfallen though, so was the rest of the group. Wanting to be with someone and being able to touch them physically, but not deeper. She'd later deny it, but those same feelings were starting to build in her.. "...You really care about her, don't you?"

"Heh. Wow. Nice one detective.." He sighed. At least some of his normal self was trudging along. "...I guess that's just how it is though. She's an Ashford and I'm some grease monkey that got lucky enough to know her. I should just be thankful for that."

His spirit was dying here. Rivalz was resigning himself to something that had yet to take place. "Don't say that Rivalz."

Reaching over, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good guy. Sometimes you're a little whiny and rude...But you don't mean it." He winced a little at the observation, but let her continue. "Girls like guys with passion. Someone who doesn't give up. Muster it all up and just..Ask her. If you're not ready yet, then just work hard at whatever you love to do. Fixing up your bike or working with us at the council.."

He shook his head. Empty eyes and a slightly smug grin. "I'm getting love advice from you huh?..."

Shirley just shrugged her shoulders. "That's what friends are for." Such frankness and blatant generosity were hard to find in Ashford. It was at this moment Rivalz remembered just how much these people meant to him, even if he wasn't as good as he could be around them from time to time.

"I suppose...Thanks, Shirley..Y'know, in another life I might've tried to go out with...Well I mean you're...Nevermind."

She smiled. "You're welcome. And thanks..." He glanced back down and cleared his throat.

"So what's your plan?"

"...I'm not so sure...I mean, I want to tell him, but If all the other girls heard about it, who knows what could happen."

"Hey now, you've got Cardemonde the Curbstomper to back you up!" He jumped up all of a sudden and stood up with a leg stepping out on the seat. He posed, pulling back his sleeves to show muscles that were indeed there, and had the bulge of a tiny speed bump.

"..."

"What?"

"...I think I'll be good on my own...But do you think he'd like an athletic kind of girl like me? He's so into those chess games of his..And all of that gambling with Rolo.."

Rivalz shook his head. "You just told me. You're one of Ashford's best swimmers. You've got the passion, now muster up the bravery!" Shirley gazed out at the windows along the walls, pondering the notion.

"Alright, I'm about to make that order for the new tire. Milly is letting me use some of the funds to get it since it's so helpful to us. See ya tomorrow!"

He ran off, smiling and waving at her. "Be on time tomorrow, okay!? It looks bad on you and us!" Rivalz just grinned and waved her off.

"Yeah...Yeah...'" The first being sarcastic. The second, genuine. That boy. He'd been given an award over how hopelessly lovesick he was for Milly. She hadn't outright rejected him, but said award and arranged a marriage to Lloyd Asplund hadn't helped much. Still, there was something to admire about him. He was always there to help out, and would never give up on something like this. There was a lesson to be learned from him.

That night, she would lie down in her bed, letting the covers rest against her body. Shirley gazed up into the night sky. Just another highschool crush. Another fantasy of a young girl that couldn't last. And yet, she felt like there was something connecting her to him. Like a past life or destiny or who really knew? Love had a nasty habit of making you feel these things.

They spread rumors about him sometimes. That he was a troublemaker and that the funds he gained from all of his gambling were for something malicious. But Shirley knew better. They didn't bother to look past that frowning face of his. She was willing to stay long enough to see him smile.

* * *

The mask fell off, and he slumped onto the couch. He got back up, turned off the lights, and then turned on the television in his quarters. It was a newsreel, a helicopter hovering over the lights of the location designated for the wedding. Lanterns hung all around outside of the palace. Hundreds of people setting up chairs and tables for the reception outside.

"Schneizel...To think that you of all people would sell off a child like that.." He shook his head. Zero watched the footage for as long as he could stand it, before shutting it off and going to the balcony. In front of the entire Federation and perhaps the world...That man made a mistake that was clearly above him. He let Zero win, then told him not to come to the wedding.

Planning would begin within the next half hour. Security would be tight, and the Black Knights would have to be ready to mobilize within minutes of taking her from the altar. At this point, there would be no negotiations. Speaking to Kallen and Ohgi, doing a brief on where and when the strike would begin, then leave enough hours for his forces to get proper sleep. It was looking to be around five hours, but that would have to be enough.

Before his thoughts could wander onto that, he took a glance out into the night sky. Just beyond his window. Out there, just a short distance away, Suzaku, Schneizel, and some of the most powerful men in the world had their daggers pointed at him. A former student council member had even attempted to gut him in front of God and all to witness.

And just a short distance away, the best friend he had betrayed was cursing him. And who wouldn't? He took the life of his very own sister and so many others without a second thought. Not that he could detect any regret on his face through that mask. He couldn't read his mind. All in all, Lelouch didn't blame him in the slightest. Hell would be too kind of a place for a demon such as he.

Getting up, slowly walking over to the windowsill and rested against it. The moonlight wasn't reflecting on his face, so there was little risk that someone spying could see him. Even then, it was pretty dark without any source of light in the room.

The city looked truly amazing. He could make out the palace hall just a short distance away, while another part of his mind thought up of ways that the countryside could be used for tomorrow's tactical movements. But as he did, another thought crossed his mind.

The lights, the well-lit streets, and pathways decorating beautiful countryside...There was one person he wishes could see this.

...And she was back in Area 11. Miles and miles away at best. Every day he watched her. Once again, he was reintroduced to her. Three times within a few years. It was like the first time they talked all over again too, minus dealing with an unruly driver. A fresh smile on her face. Pretty olive eyes, and that same head of orange-swaying hair.

She greeted him as she used to every morning. She called him "Lulu" just the same. Ditzy and clumsy, but athletic and book smart. Always trying to understand people, and willing to make connections with even the most outcasted students.

It was her, True and blue. She even helped him with his geology. She was kind and loving to him. And she had feelings for him. He remembered the day he'd accepted those same feelings. Before all of this had spiraled out of control. It was crazy. Like traveling back in time. Sometimes he accidentally let something about their history together slip. A little comment on accident here and there.

Sometimes he would look out and wonder where she was. Of course, it was cliche. But that's just what happens when someone is on your mind. The things she'd tell him..Idealistic as they sounded, were true. Love was indeed power...And he was drained. "Shirley...There are a thousand things I regret...I don't deserve someone like you. Somebody like Rivalz or Suzaku would be better. They haven't done what I've done. But I promise..I'll do my best to make this world better for you. It's the least I can do."

His chest hurt while he spoke these words. The thought of her in someone else's arms. That bright, shining smile no longer there for him. "Just stay safe. Please." He took a breath, cleared his throat, allowed the ice to flood his veins once again. Lelouch got up and took his helmet in hand. He had work to do.

NOTE: A little shorter than the others, but more to come tomorrow! Thanks for reading, again.


	4. Compassion

"Alright! Your turn, Rolo!"

Silence.

"...Roloooo"

"I'm not doing it."

Milly moped. "Not even for a minute?"

"Well..I mean...Isn't this a bit embarrassing?"

"You look adorable! C'mon! We've done worse to you before! Even Suzaku!" A long sigh. The dresser had a slight crack open, teasing a preview of what was to come. A ribbon of pink slithered out from the crack, tempting the eye to follow it into the darkness. Clearly, the class president was having a hard time to keep herself from doing just that.

"C'moooon. It's only for three hours! And you'll be a school celebrity afterward."

The young man's voice shook. "O-okay...If you say so...But never again!"

She sighed. "Fineeee." Without giving himself time to prepare, Shirley watched as Milly grabbed the two doors and flung them open.

"How else are we going to do this without the lovely Princess of Lycrandia!" For the uninformed, Lycrandia was a continent far away from the Tokyo Settlement. A place that was hard to find on any map, and was home to crystal giants, ancient dragons, and adventure beyond the imagination. The heiress to this wonderful land emerged from the closet, flooding the room with her glory.

A long, frilly dress with bright pink ribbons and a flowing white gown adorned this princess. Hair that although seemed a little suspicious in its natural look, hung nicely in a braided ponytail. "Oh my goodness, you look GORGEOUS!" Elated by a full view of their handiwork, Milly jumped to the princess's side and pulled an arm around her.

Rolo was clearly not amused at the fact that a giant mirror was being held in front of him. "...Why does the lipstick have to be so red?"

"To make you irresistible! The kingdom can't have a future without heirs to the throne!"

"Cut it out prez!" Already he was shaking, and she just didn't get it. Why was he so worried about earning a little cash?

Milly sighed. "You're right. Oh, but I'm just so excited!" She too was shaking, leaving him feeling subliminally mocked for his worries.

Shirley put the mirror down. "Just think of it this way Rolo. You're doing this for a good cause! The council will get more money to fund the Springtime Spring!" Chuckling, Rivalz paused long enough to join in while Rolo examined the feathery lengths at the backside of his dress resembling swan wings.

"People will make memories there! You'll be a hero to the school! There'll be fun, dancing...confessing love.."

"More like a damsel in distress..." He continued to protest, but Milly's will was far stronger. In no time at all, Rolo was carted out into the courtyard for god and all to witness. The staff and student body of Ashford Academy watched as this shy boy was put next to a large sign that'd been so carefully constructed by Shirley and Milly the day before.

* * *

1 DOLLAR = 1 KISS

GAZE UPON THE LOVELY PRINCESS OF LYCRANDIA!

TOUCH HER LIPS, AND HER HEART IS YOURS!

LET HER LOVE HEAL YOU, AND MAY THE SPIRITS OF LYCRANDIA BLESS THEE

(NO REFUNDS!)

"...Don't you think this is pushing it a little?"

Milly shrugged. You and the rest of the swim team did that cafe thing at the festival. Besides, he volunteered!"

Shirley shrugged. "Yeah, but you didn't really specify what kind of kissing booth it would be.."

Her friend gave an admitting and somewhat guilty nod. "I know, I know...We'll make it up to him, I promise. Too bad Lelouch isn't here..Where is your knight in shining armor when you need him?" The class president shot her a sly grin.

"..Well...Lulu is out getting supplies. He just takes a while y'know. He said he has trouble with directions.."

"And you trusted him? What if he's out doing his gambling?" All at once, Milly's face contorted into that of horrified shock.

At that moment, Shirley's followed suit. "W-wait! What are you saying!?"

"He could be out spending our money on those games...Or buying some girls that can do things we Ashford ladies could never dream of.."

Heart racing, the redhead began to dart her gaze around, looking for a magic teleportation device that she would never find. "S-STOP! WE'VE GOT TO FIND HIM! IF-"

"Shirley, I'm kidding."

A snort. Another. Then full-on laughter.

"You're really sick prez.."

"Oh, calm down! Just kick back and help me count the money when it rolls in!" And roll in it did. Many of the male students of Ashford, especially the lonely, single ones, were rushing to the booth. Though there was a limit on just how long and passionate the kisses could be, that did little to ease the pained look in Rolo's eyes. Many were pecks, some were smooches.

And no one could tell. Apparently, all those years of her cousin Lydia lecturing her on applying makeup for the right occasion had made Milly a master at bringing out inner beauty. They all believed he was indeed some female student who willingly signed up. Shirley had opted to give her own skills, but as she wasn't much for applying swaths of liner and lipstick.

This scheme was so successful, that the three hours became four. Even though the afternoon sun wore and tore at some of the makeup, Rolo's lips had touched many with the grace and style of a fair lady from a faraway tower.

His head was collapsed on the desk by the time it ended. Milly's hand slammed a bill right next to him. He jumped before catching the bill in midair. "Great job!"

Her hands raised his cheeks to meet her face, and Milly gave her very own kiss to the lovely princess. A loud, proud smooch of approval. Rolo didn't even flinch after it was over. He was hollow. "You're a credit to the team and then some! The next time you need a favor, just ask! Anything! That's an Ashford promise!"

Rolo nodded. "Right...Right...I'm going to go to the clubhouse and dress back into my uniform...see ya..." He walked off. Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz were left standing in the courtyard. By this time, there were only ten or twelve people scattered about this area.

A gust of wind swayed against their hair, hanging with the weight of their conscience. "Oh man...I think you went overboard again, prez.."

Milly nodded. "I'd hate to admit it...but you're right..." She turned to Shirley. "Hey...Do you mind talking to him? I'd do it myself, but he might be a bit sour if I tried..."

"Right. I'll get him." His pace had quickened already. Shirley had to practically jog to keep up. She called his name a couple of times, trying to keep track of his white dress through her bouncing orange bangs. To no avail. The princess returned to his kingdom, shutting the door behind him. Thankfully, it was still unlocked, and by the time Shirley had just walked inside, an open door broadcasted where Rolo had slipped away. "Rolo! Roloooo!" No answer. She went upstairs, growing more and more concerned. He'd managed to ride out some of Milly's antics before, but if he responded so seriously to this, they may have traumatized the kid for life. "Hey...Are you there?"

An oak door sat before her. She'd walked into one room only to find a back dressing room in the back. All the lights were off in the clubhouse, making it all seem so much more barren. "...I'm here Shirley...please, I'm trying to get dressed."

"Well...I just came to talk to you."

A pause and some shifting on the floorboards. "Talk to me?"

She cleared her throat, not quite sure how he was going to react. Before this all started, something at the back of her mind urged her to stop Milly's madness, and now she was paying the price for ignoring it. "Yeah...Milly wanted me to make sure we didn't go too far. You really were okay with kissing booth, right?"

Some grumbling from behind the door "...I guess..."

"That's not a good enough answer...Rolo, we're friends. You can tell me." There was a muffled sigh from the other side of the door. A shadow shifted back and forth in the crack below. She leaned back against it and look around the dining room in front of her.

"Alright...I suppose...You're not going to laugh like her, though, are you?"

"Milly didn't mean to hurt you Rolo. And neither did I. Of course not!" He remained silent. As Shirley looked down at the shadowy crack, it moved away from the door. The sifting fabric could be heard as the princess went back to being Rolo Lamperouge, the timid, sweet boy they all knew and loved. Still no answer, though. A noise like clothes being tossed as he threw the dress onto a hook. How violently the fabric flopped onto various resting places.

Shirley went on all fours and slipped her pinky under the crack. "Hey!" His shifting pause.

"Pinky swear?" More silence. A few steps towards her. A small, warm pinky met Shirley's, gripped, then pulled away. Rolo said nothing for a moment, then a thump as the boy rested his back against the door.

"I wanted to go to the kissing booth because...Because there was someone I was hoping would be there.."

"Oh? Someone, you like?" In the moments to come, Shirley found herself glad that she followed him here. When you first meet someone, you can never truly tell how similar your situation maybe until you get to know them.

"Uh...Yeah?" His two words came out like the whisper of an ant.

She nodded. "I see...Well, Rivalz wanted to sign up himself. I'm sure you know why." Shirley giggled at this comment, but Rolo was a bit slow to catch it.

"Huh?...Oh-oh yeah.."

"Did you at least get to kiss her?"

"Her?...Well...No..."

"O-or him. It's okay if you're like that. If it's too personal, we don't have to talk about it.." Their breathing filled the empty spaces of the clubhouse.

Another sigh from him. He really did sound drained. They really should have given him an extra bottle of water for him. "It's fine...I just..Feel a little cheated. That's all.."

"I would too...Are you sure you're going to be okay? You don't hate us for this...Do you?"

"..."

"We love having you here Rolo. You're really shy, but you're a bit more willing to help out than Rivalz sometimes. Thank you so much...And I know the prez can be a bit much, but she means well. Really."

"..."

Shirley backed away. As much as she wanted to reinforce her message, there was a genuine feeling that she was no longer welcome here. "Well...I'm going to have a talk with her. If we ever do another fundraiser like this, Rivalz will wear a dress, okay?"

"...Yeah...Thanks, Shirley." It wasn't very loud, but there wasn't any sarcasm there. "See you on Monday!'

"See ya..."

* * *

That next Monday, she called him. "Um, Lulu? Do you have a minute?" Shirley had just stepped into the girl's locker room and was changing for another swim session.

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"Well it's about the prez's graduation event, remember? If I talk about it in class, Rivalz will blab to her." The last time something like that had happened, it had been Nina's surprise birthday party, and she sadly overheard someone else mention it before it could be an actual surprise.

"Maybe it's better for her to let herself decide what she wants to do."

She shrugged. "I...guess.." It would be kind of an anticlimax if she asked for nothing, though. Normally, Milly went all out, but she was known to tone things down if it was something big like this.

"S-Shirley, can I ask you something?" There was a bang on the other side of the line and some shouting. He was probably near a bar or something. "The thing is there's this couple that just has to split up, but I can't convince anyone else..." That piqued her interest. She kept the phone at her ear the best she could as she changed. "No, it's a political iss-I MEAN FAMILY politics and all." The mere notion of such a thing! Two people breaking up because others just don't want them to be together!?

So terrible was this concept that she fell to the ground, the rest of the swim team watching as she cried "THEN DON'T!" Many stood by and listened, knowing she was on a first-name basis with the heartthrob of Ashford.

"Don't what?" Said heartthrob had to pull the phone away from his ear for a brief second.

"Don't break them up! Love is power! when you love someone, that has incredible power! You think about them all day long, write poetry that rhymes, and love letters, think you can fly and that's only the beginning!" So impassioned by this stance was she, that it almost slipped out. Right then and there in front of the entire swim team, and would've likely gone across the entire campus by the school day's end. "And I've always-...That is...What about you, lulu? Haven't you ever felt that way for someone important to you?"

There was a brief silence. He then declared, "That's right, passion has the power to change the entire world! That's the truth, isn't it Shirley? Thanks! I'm really glad I talked to you."

"Oh really!? 'cause passion's very-" His end disconnected. Lelouch had done it again. "ARGGH You'll never change! Why do I waste my time!?" She put away her phone, red-faced as she tried to ignore the gawking stares of the other girls in the locker room.

For the next couple of hours, they swam for endurance. Shirley used what frustration she gained from their phone call as fuel for Viletta's exercises. Once all was said and done, she packed up her clothes, wanting to vent her frustration to the music on her phone. The warm afternoon air washed her forehead with a gentle breeze. Shirley was just getting ready to ask Milly where she'd seen Lelouch when something caught her eye...

Rolo. He was standing by a bench, watching a small group of birds bathe themselves nearby. There was something kind of...Empty, about the look on its face. His stance was calm and he seemed content, but even from here, something was off about his look...

"Hey! Rolo!"

The boy flinched. "O-oh! Shirley! You're out of swim club already?" He straightened his collar,

"Well, yeah we normally get out at this time.."

"Oh...right of course...Uh, anyway, How are you doing?"

Shirley weighed her options. Sophie wouldn't be back for the next couple of days since she'd gone on vacation with her family, and as much as she enjoyed letting some music take her away, it would get old after an hour or so. "I'm doing alright...Say, do you wanna go to grab something to eat?" Rolo paused, avoiding her gaze. His eyes scanned the cracks in the ground in front of her until she stepped forward "I just got a new allowance, so it'll be my treat!"

Rolo tugged at the side of his pants, adjusting them slightly."Well...I don't have anything else better to do soo..." She snatched his hand, a wide grin on her face.

"I know just the place!" With that, the short, brown-haired young man slipped away into the afternoon, a sigh from his lips and a hope that the food would at least be good.

* * *

It was a decent Italian restaurant on the fringe between the ghettos and the settlement itself. Well-kept, as dingy as it seemed from the outside, the clusters of students walking to and from it were a good sign before they even entered. Rolo sat across from her, playing with his food. "So...How are you liking ?"

"It's fine, I guess.." He kept staring into his food. At this point, Shirley was seriously reconsidering bringing him. He was probably thinking about something and she came and butted in like that...

"You're...Not bothered by this, are you?" Annoying as she could sometimes be, there

"No..No I'm not...I actually don't get to go into town a lot to be honest.."

"Lulu doesn't take you out at all?" Concern washed over her face, Rolo began to open up more and more. They were alone, and there was no reason for him to be so reserved.

"Well, he does, but it's mostly for...Well, you know.." And already she could tell what he meant. Going off and playing those games that only criminals had business participating in.

Shirley shook her head, eating a little bit more of her noodles before pointing her fork at him. "I don't know what you guys like so much about gambling.."

"Well, it raises money for the student council...And he uses it to pay for our lunches!"

She shook her head. "And what-' she stopped, lowering her tone so others wouldn't listen in."What would happen if you lost all of that money? What then?... Besides, I heard some of the nobles don't take kindly to losing.."

"Yeah...I suppose you're right. I guess I'm just happy that I have someone watching me.." Whenever they would briefly mention his family history or lack thereof, it always kind of hurt Shirley in a way. To see

"You said you were an orphan right?' Rolo had just brought his fork up to meet his mouth. He paused.."..Rolo?"

"..I suppose...No...wait.." His eyes went to his plate, trying to think of what to say next. His supposed friend leaned in closer.

"Suppose what?" He still shifted in his seat. The boy's eyes would dart from her to the food in front of him.

"Do you want to hear about it?... Just a little bit? I'm not very comfortable with it but-"

"We don't have to if you don't want to.."

"..It's fine. Really. I can't let it stay bottled up..." He took a deep breath, then started. "So...I can't go too much into detail but..you could say I was raised in a strict family.."

"Go on.." Shirley was no longer eating, having pushed her nearly-finished noodles to the side to listen.

"And sometimes..I did some bad things for them. But that was my duty. I owed it to the family.."

"Bad...Things?" This immediately set her off. Was he part of a gang? Or was he the son of a noble that only let things go their way? Across the street, a well-dressed man in a crimson suit held a dog on his leash. Their attention was grabbed by just how much the dog was thrashing about and snarling at everything in sight.

Behind the counter, an Eleven shook in fear. Even from behind the glass, the two students could hear everything the man said. "You damn SCUM!" He yanked the collar, and his pet leaped in front of the counter, teeth-baring as the muzzle slipped along face as if any further movement would subject the vendor to its maw. "Now...You're going to give me that topaz necklace...for free.."

"N-no, sir! I can't!"

The noble shook his head. He slammed his fist on the counter.

"Do you see this!? Take a good look, and tell me that's authentic diamond.."

Shirley frowned at this, ready to turn away from whatever might happen at a moment's notice. More than anything, she wanted to do something, but that dog was likely trained to go a little further than peeing on your shoes. "You'd think he'd be smart enough to know that it was fake.." Rolo continued to watch. The noble had walked around to one side of the counter while his dog cornered the right, knocking down racks and baskets of jewelry as the leash swept over it. The Eleven was now trapped in a pincer.

"I work all day, only to come here and spend my money on worthless TRINKETS!?" He knocked over another rack with his left hand, barely able to hold onto his dog as it's barking grew louder. The leash was a straight line now, and the dog's gnashing teeth were inches from the eleven's face.

"You will give me and my wife something worth wearing! I will not be humiliated like that again!"

"P-please! It belonged to my mother...and she's.." The noble slapped him, barely holding his dog back. Shirley quivered at this. The nearest policeman was simply gazing off into the distance. His hands were folded, and there was no attempt to stop this. Watching for a little longer, they heard the voices soften, but the nobleman had bent down once more to say something to the Eleven. Thirty seconds later, the man in the crimson suit walked off, taking a turquoise necklace in hand..

"That was awful.." She turned to Rolo, noticing the way he held his knife...His eyes were on the street, but his hand was carefully wrapped around it as if ready to strike.

"It's pretty rough out there, isn't it?" It took until his hand was tapping the knife against the table that he realized what was happening.

"Oh!...Sorry." He put the knife down. "That just scared me a bit...I don't always see stuff like that.."

"Me neither. I know it happens a lot...My dad works with a lot of people who act like that sometimes." He took a breath, then put on a more pleasant expression as the conversation realigned itself.

"You said your father was a geologist, correct?"

Shirley stopped. Choked a little. She'd just referred to her father in the present tense...

"He passed away just last year, correct?" Rolo continued with a bit more care, walking on the glass that might as well have been scattered all over the table and restaurant floor.

She swallowed, and went back to her food, playing with it a little..."Yeah..Mom is doing pretty good though..We're making it day by day..."

"I bet it must be really lonely..Not having him around anymore, I mean.."

Another pained look crossed Rolo's face as his gaze wandered over to the street once again. "I'm sorry for prying. It's not my business."

"You're fine. I guess we're kind of in the same boat, y'know? Lelouch is a good friend to me, and a good brother to you, so it all works out!"

Rolo smiled. For the first time that they'd spent any time together, his lips parted into an actual grin. "Heh, yeah. He really is amazing...I'd fight the world for him if I had to."

A laugh. "Ditto!" They both chuckled together, their laughs the only thing brightening the nearly empty restaurant.

"You know...Madam President said something." A flash of heat ran down her spine. Surely, she couldn't have already told Rolo?

"...About what?"

"About how much you lik-" Her body reacted before her mind could. By instinct, the girl leaped across the table, clasping her palm over his mouth.

His eyes widened. Open and alert like a puppy next to a fallen metal pan. "Did I shay smththing?"

"Uhh. There's no one around, is there?" She checked. Milly wasn't around with a camera. Rivalz wasn't here with a microphone, and there were no signs of a remote control device like the one from last spring. She let go.

"Alright. Go ahead. I know what you're going to say."

Rolo shrugged. "I mean..Everyone can see it."

"Can they really?"

He nodded, and she nearly planted her face into her dish. "I mean, I knew Milly made fun of me a lot for it.."

"You're not alone. Almost all of the female student body is in love with him. I think you're going to have a lot of competition."

"I mean...I know him firsthand, so that's a start, I guess?" Shirley was giving him a cheerful smile, playing off the whole situation as a casual joke. Truth be told, she was

He shrugged. A slight frown, and little else. "What would you do for him?"

"Huh?"

Adjusting his position, Rolo made sure his point was as clear as possible."How far would you go for Lelouch?" Each syllable is spoken loud and annunciated.

The orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "For Lulu?... Well, I guess if I had to, I'd be with you! Fighting the whole world!" Rolo fell silent. All of a sudden, any kind of warmth that held before was suddenly gone.

Her eyes studied him, trying to read his thoughts while he powered through the rest of his spaghetti. As he wiped his lips, he reached over to his bag..and stopped. His eyes went back to the street. "Do you think the dog deserves a punishment?"

Shirley was thrown off by this. "Huh? The...dog?"

"That dog...It's owner. He raised it to do, well...What it just did." There was no longer a noble or a dog. Just a Japanese man trying to prop his racks back up again, shaking all-the-while.

"Well...No Rolo! That dog was raised by a bad owner. That's all. It doesn't know that it's doing something wrong.."

"Right...Thanks..." Without another word, Rolo Lamperouge walked off. Without anyone to take him back to the academy, and no other parting words.

Shirley looked at his meal. It wasn't very expensive, as was the rest of the menu. It's what made this place so popular with the student body. She placed her own money on the table, finished her meal, and walked out. As she was looking around, Shirley caught a glimpse of him walking around the corner, a phone with that one trinket in his hand.

Shirley took a cab back, and on the way to Ashford, she called him to make sure he was okay.

Only a ringtone.

She tried again.

Only A ringtone.

Once she reached the gates of the school, she took one last shot.

He picked up.

"Rolo I-"

"..." Some background noise. Some cars. A few voices.

He hung up.

"Wh-what!?" One more try, and this time, it went straight to voicemail. "Twice in one day..." Just like his brother. She went inside, thoughts trickling back to that look she gave him. With a sigh, Shirley shrugged them off. The Chinese empress was going to have a wedding tomorrow and she had to find out where the tv was...


	5. Breaking

Today had been interesting, to say the least. Lelouch had to deal with the sudden reappearance of Jeremiah Gottwald, thankfully being able to wrap it all up once he revealed his kinship to his mother and Shirley had nearly fallen off the mall rooftop. Not exactly what he'd envisioned when he woke up this morning. He shuddered to think of what might've happened had he and Suzaku been a few seconds too late.

A terrible image popped into his head the more he lingered on it, and an even worse one was likely about to unfold. "Where the hell is Suzaku when you need him!?" He huffed, sprinting to the sight he'd barely noticed while running down of the escalators. It was across the way, but the flash of Rolo's geass was the most obvious thing to stand out in the haze of smoke left behind by the explosion.

He'd come to intercept the threat, and he'd assumed Rolo was in danger when...The frozen form of...of her...It faced her with a desperate, slightly startled face as if finishing a plea to Rolo.

That boy...He was walking to her. A Socom clutched in her hand. Lelouch was going to make it. He HAD to make it.

"No...ROLO!"

His underling had flinched for a second. "L-Lelouch?"

"Stop!" Lelouch ran up to him, yanking the boy aside and putting space between him and his potential victim. "You're not to touch her, do you understand!?"

"But..I-I..." He fought the urge to strike him. Blind, primal rage demanded he take the pistol from the boy, point it at him, and blow holes in his clavicle, neck, and head where he stood. The wisest course of action, however, would be to get that damn gun out of her hands. His fingers pried it away, just as the effects of his geass faded.

"Wh-what...Lulu? What are you..?"He would trade the image they were caught in now for a thousand other ones. But right now, Rolo backed away nervously while he clutched a pistol in his hand.

Turning to him, he glared, "We'll talk later." Without another word, he grabbed Shirley's wrist. "Please...It's not safe here."

Shirley looked at her friend, his body shaking and his gaze at the ground. There was silence and shame from what Lelouch had said, and her brain was still trying to piece it all together. "What about ro-"

"He'll find his own way out. Don't worry.." She might've dwelled a little more on that, but Lelouch had spoken with such anger that it would be trivial to argue in a situation like this. On their way out, Lelouch kicked the weapon into some corner, before taking a tram path along the tram line that wouldn't put them at the center of attention

They made it to a neighborhood not far from the mall, when Shirley touched his shoulder. They'd barely spoken the entire trip, if only for Lelouch to dismiss her questions. This time, however, it looked like she wasn't just going to settle for another shrug. "Lulu...what happened?"

"You...Shirley...I have to confe-" She cleared her throat. He was about to keep going, but the look in her twinkling eyes gave him a sense that there was a lot more to say.

"Lulu...I know everything. The Black Knights...My father. And Zero." A flash of terrifying heat rolled down his back. The kind when you're realizing that months of secrecy and careful planning was just all taken away within a sea of uncertain chaos that came with living in the world.

"Shirley..." She stepped forward and pulled him to her. They clung together, her sobbing and shaking, not in sorrow but in warmth and love that blazed beyond the sun's golden rays. A love he did not deserve.

He lifted his arms from her, taking note of the grime and dirt he'd built up at the mall and during their escape. For god's sake, they both smelled like smoke, and her roommate would notice as soon as she got home.

He gave her a gentle push, and the worst part came quick. She backed away, then put her fingers together sheepishly. "L-lulu?"

"Go. Please. There are better people out there. I'm not one of them."

"Lelouch...I don't wa-"

He gritted his teeth before his next sentence. "You almost DIED today! What would happen if your mother lost her daughter too? What about the student council? What about the rest of your family and the swim team and m-"

He bit his tongue. She went to reach for his shoulder. It was met with a hard shake. "Don't...Just don't.." Lelouch knew she was going to say something else too. Shirley was too good to just let this drop all of a sudden.

Lelouch ran from her, leaving her in the afternoon sunlight as it faded to orange, and not thinking about where he was going until he was well beyond the reaches of her voice. He didn't look back at all. For had he done so, he would've seen her collapsing in the street, sobbing as what had seemed so close to her was ripped away in an instant.

* * *

_Lulu,_

_I haven't heard much from you since...what happened at the mall. I see Rolo is no longer going to school. They say that he's been transferred, but he left me a note. He told me that if I wanted to talk to you, that I should mail to this address. I've tried calling him but he hasn't been answering...YOU haven't been answering..._

_I've called Milly. She and Rivalz are both worried. It's awfully lonely these days, with just him and I running the Student Council. He's barely even around these days! They made some sort of deal to have him work as Milly's cameraman from time to time. That's cool, I guess, but that's just a bigger workload for me. 'Guess I shouldn't complain, though. It comes with the job._

_Are you still alive? I don't know why I'm writing this its just...They put us into the gym during the battle. There was a second battle with the Black Knights, and I guess a Knight of the Round was killed by one of them. I don't want to believe that was Kallen, but..._

_I don't think anything less of her, Lulu. There's a good girl I know that's in there, and I know she has a reason to fight the battles she does._

_Just like you, Lulu. You can try to tell me that it was one of your plans or that it was some kind of trick, but the Lelouch I know cares about all of us. He loved his sister and wanted what was best for her, and the world._

_I know that's why you're out there right now...Isn't it?_

_Britannia isn't a perfect place...we all kinda know that. If the empire really is as corrupt as Rolo said in that letter, then I know you're not just thinking about yourself._

_You put on a costume. You go out there and act like some sort of phantom or monster for the empire to slay. But you're not. You're a good guy, and I'll be there whenever you need me._

_Please, Lulu...Come back._

_-Shirley_

* * *

"So...Did you want me to read it again?" Lelouch stared at the floor, letting the thoughts soak into his mind as he felt the hum of the ship's electrical system beneath his floor.

"No...We have to assess the damage.." C. C. was wiping down the bathroom. She wouldn't have done so a week ago, but since losing her memories, thoughts that hadn't come to her in centuries were beginning to resurge. Rolo was left to tend to Lelouch, much to his chagrin.

Nunnally was dead. Lost in a blast that nearly consumed the entire city. Now, an apocalyptic inverse dome bore its way into the earth where millions had lived.

Shirley's parents had lived far from the reaches of the blast...But what about the rest of the student body? There had likely been plenty of rich nobles and Britannians living in that district, and at least a few of them had to have relations at Ashford.

He wanted to go back there, to hear the comfort of his friends again. But how many would curse him when he got there? Try to kill him? At least a couple of kids would have turns giving him a beating if that was the case. He deserved the pain of a thousand at the very least.

He lied there. Hollow as C. C. Cleaned the room. Her loss of memories had regressed her to centuries-old thoughts, and Rolo had merely come to read him the letter.

"Is there any way you'd want me to reply to her...?"

"Well..." Rolo raised a pen to a blank sheet of paper. Lelouch, having felt a tingle of some coherent thought, found himself unable to come up with anything.

It had come and gone to him like the wind. Nunnally's loss was bearing down on him..And besides, that letter was written a couple of days ago at least. Shirley had likely been quick to send it and he'd made sure snail mail would lose its namesake should he need it. God only knew how the news would handle the blast. If he was blamed for it, then there really was no point in going back.

Suzaku walked in. Shirley had managed to get them talking again, and though it did result in a few blows and a little bit of blood, they'd managed to see things eye to eye. Though Britannia had its intel, they weren't as careful as one would believe. "Never mind, Rolo...Please...Leave us.."

"Oh-okay.."He walked out of the room, politely excusing himself as he passed C. C.

Suzaku gazed on at Rolo before looking back to "Zero."

"Ohgi has asked to talk to us. It's kinda sudden, so I can't really say why."

He nodded. "I see...Let's go.." Suzaku pointed out C. C.'s behavior, and Lelouch was quick to explain her memory loss. "That's unfortunate. She does seem...different." Kallen was still being pried out of the cockpit of the Guren SEITEN. She'd performed well in the battle, but a lucky enemy frame had managed to bend the lining of the metal to hook her inside. Soon, she'd have to hear the news as well. Yet another broken pillar for his life to collapse on itself.

"Have you heard from anyone on the student council?"

"Milly and the staff sent the student body to the gym. They're alive.." Suzaku remained silent. It felt strange to Lelouch. That he'd just accept Euphy's murder so easily. They had talked, but he still imagined that there was a trace of bitterness, jealousy whenever it came back to Shirley.

"What about…..her?" Then again, Suzaku was too kind for his own good.

"She's okay." He answered with little more. Suzaku would try his best to console him, but right now, Lelouch needed to do his thing and partake in whatever kind of meeting Ohgi was putting together.

"Surrender, Zero!" All of a sudden, a string of voices rang out, accusation lining each syllable and each voice belonging to someone he trusted only mere minutes ago.

"How dare you try to run a con game on us!'

"We know everything about your geass power!"

Lelouch hardly had time to gasp before he saw Diethard, camera at the ready. "At last, the renowned hero, Zero, having died in battle before he could triumph. But his gallant life and daring deeds will continue to live on in myth and legend."

"Is that the script you've written for me, Diethard?" Zero spat from beneath his helmet. If looks could kill, (minus his geass) Lelouch would've struck Diethardt dead, and perhaps even left a mess.

"Actually I wanted to film your heroic deeds and victory over Britannian. But I'm afraid that show has been permanently canceled." He couldn't use his geass. The Knightmares were too far for him to reach.

"Lelouch. Here.." Suzaku slid him a small, fruit-sized object. He was quick to slip it into his palm.

"Three..."

"Get out of the way, Kururugi!"

"You really are Britannian scum!"

"Two..."

"He probably used his geass on him!"

"ONE!"

Suzaku's hand slipped in and out of his belt like a spaghetti western, before flinging some small ball into the ground. A pop, and then a flood of smoke engulfed the room. They stood still, not to alert the armed Knights. Instead, they waited until the second that the smoke had covered them completely, and the shouting and random firing began.

Bullets bounced off the deck, sending sparks that threatened to burn Lelouch's eyes. Together, the two ran back into a series of corridors that would lead them to an alternate hangar somewhere onboard. They hadn't expected an escape, so the Lancelot was still available for use. There were a few random Black knights here and there that Suzaku was able to send unconscious with a spinning kick. There were occasional bursts of gunfire, but they would always manage to weave around crates and hallways before they were hit.

"Almost there!" By the time that they arrived at the hangar, the blast doors were closing. Though they hadn't been completely prepared, someone anticipated this. "QUICK! YOU FIRST!"

"Yes, I'll-what!?" Suzaku's deft hands were quick enough to grab a hold of Lelouch. With a hard throw, the masked man was tossed inside just in time for the cockpit to open. Had Suzaku's timing was a little off, the side of it would've probably broken his neck. A fact that Lelouch would remark upon and complain to Suzaku, with only a lighthearted chuckle to provide justification.

He took command, easily starting it up and launching both of them from the hail fire of bullets that scratched at the Lancelot's hull.

With a twirl, He managed to spin them out from the closing hangar doors and into freedom. They were met with some resistance, but Suzaku's quick motor skills and occasional dives into the woods below eventually took them off the grid.

Once they were in much clearer airspace, Zero's knight turned to him."What about Rolo and the others?"

Lelouch rasped. "I sent Rolo my emergency ping. He should be finding a way out with C. C...Although I should have accounted for her memory loss. Not that I thought-"

"So what's our next step? We don't have the Black Knights on our side and I'm sure that the Britannians are going to ask questions if I bring you along.." Lelouch weighed his options. Charles himself was reported to be in the area, though it would still be some time before his air fleet arrived at Kamine Island.

"Suzaku...There's something I need to do. While I still can. To Ashford."

Suzaku nodded. A slightly sad smile on his face. "To Ashford it is...You know..It's been a minute. It'll be nice."

The former rebel leader next to him sighed. "...I hope so.."

NOTE: The pacing is kinda janky with this story, but this is meant to be done as a series of memories. I ended up covering a lot more than I thought due to wanting to flesh things out a bit more, so sorry about that. Again, thanks to everyone following and there's more to come :^3


	6. Reconciliation

There were just a few more boxes to move, and then Shirley would be done for the day. The gym had been packed during the battle and the mess between trying to balance classes and moving the supplies quite hectic. The battle had been anticipated to be a larger scale than the last one, and so the board had the mindset to stock up on more supplies. Better safe than sorry, Shirley guessed.

"Hey, Shirley! Over here!" From behind the curtains, Rivalz was calling down to her. With his usual, cheeky expression.

Although she'd expected him to have a usual mischievous look on his face, the blue-haired boy's eyes darted about. There was something he needed to keep secret. "I've got something to show you!"

"In a minute, Rivalz!" She groaned.

"Oh, come on! This will only take a minute!" His whining would only continue if she kept at it, so Shirley reluctantly put down her box. "A minute, Rivalz."

"Sure, sure.." She climbed up on the stage and went back behind the curtains. Hopefully, no one would get the wrong idea. There had been rumors going around ever since Lelouch just up and disappeared.

"So what's this-" Her friend then pulled her to the side, careful enough to make sure that no one else was watching.

"Sooo anything?" She shook her head. The empty space behind the stage told her this was serious talk time. "A phone call, a letter...?"

A certain sense of defeat hung on her voice. As if she'd lifted some massive boulder only for it to come crashing down a steep hill once again. "Nothing. Not even Rolo has made an effort to contact us. Milly hasn't heard anything either."

"The school board asked questions the other day. I told them that he and his extended family are having issues and went on a trip to sort it all out.."

How on-the-nose he was. Would Rivalz ever truly know? And how many inches off the ground would he jump should he find out?

"I'm sure when the time is right, we'll hear from him."

A disheartened look stained his face. "This isn't like him. Lelouch and I were buds. Now, I don't really have much of a reason to go out anymore."

Shirley shook her head. "Now you can't gamble all your money away.."

He sighed. "It's not just that. We used to go and hang out at the park or have a bite to eat. I guess there are a few friends here and there.."

They sat in silence as the student body around them cleaned up. Milly was no longer a student and Nina...God knew where she was. Supposedly she's working in development for the military's weapons, but that was about it. Milly talked to her at the federation and it didn't go as well as they would've hoped. "At least tell me when he's around...I want to talk to him. At least once. He gave my idiot self a chance when the teachers wouldn't ya know?"

She smiled. Lelouch did do a lot of good for Rivalz. He might've been in a rougher place had he not been there to be his friend, if nothing else. "Let's get back to it. Milly would scold you if she caught you slacking like this."

"Yeah, yeah. Lay off will ya?" They'd managed to get everything moved before school let out, which gave Shirley ample time to finish rescheduling the school council's events and grab her bag. After making sure everything was in place, Shirley hung her head a little as she went up the steps. This day had been exhausting, and there would be more to come just like it.

"Maybe I should visit father's grave soon. It's been a while. And Mom too.." Everyone was leaving for the day, and there weren't a lot of teachers patrolling the halls at the moment. Shirley decided to take a walk up to the gardens on the rooftop.

She looked across the city and over the massive crater. Milly would be working long hours as she kept updating the civilian population on the damage. There were a few people she'd known who'd lived there. Not a lot of family, but a few friends.

For a moment, she rasped. Then began to sob. This had been a very taxing time for her, and this wasn't the kind of life she'd envisioned. All around her, armies and battles were moving, the world was constantly shifting, and the one person she'd loved was at the helm of all of it. "Lelouch...No matter what...Win."

Her trust wasn't blind. She was sure to be told that if anyone ever found out. But they didn't know him. Historians and anyone on the news besides Milly would never know.

A tap.

She was supposed to be alone. Shirley spun around, hair whipping as a figure slipped out from behind the bushes. Lelouch. Donning his Zero cape and awkwardly halfway through putting his helmet on.

A cascade of emotions hit her, and she wanted nothing more than to shower him with kisses and praise. They tugged at her as she only had the strength to squeak out "Nice entrance, Lulu."

He fumbled, and the helmet clattered to the ground. "Well, uh. I tried." She smiled. Even with the face of his alter ego, there was still some of him imprinted here. It was here that she propelled herself to him, slamming into his chest and sobbing. He leaned in, putting his forehead to Shirley. "Alright alright now. You don't want to ruin those eyes with all those tears now, do you? You'll look old by the time you're thirty."

His fingers brushed her cheeks, sending shivers of joy into his chest. It'd been far too long since he'd gotten to do that. "Lulu...I've been going crazy..It's been too much. The battle and the school and everything."

"It's alright. I have an idea. Trust me, it's all going to end soon. So please, bear with me." Lelouch was clearing his throat, and the young lady could see a sort of...Unreachable pain drift in his eyes.

"What's going to happen?" She breathed, getting herself under control. "There's not going to be another battle, is there?"

He forced himself to pull away from her just a little. "I came to say goodbye, Shirley." She choked on those words. A simple sentence that hit Shirley in every wrong muscle in her chest.

"You...What?" Her shock came out cracked. Divided sounds barely forming a sentence.

Lelouch pressed on. At this point, disappointing even the ones he loved was something normal to him. For better or for worse. And as much as it broke his heart to see her sparkling eyes drown in tears. '"I'm about to take control of Britannia. And there's little time for me to do so. I'll be alright, I promise. Tell Rivalz that I'll be-"

"Stop it, Lulu...You're doing it again." He flinched. Before he could even turn away and maintain his stoic demeanor, she'd already pushed the truth onto him like a brick wall.

"I'm not trying to do anything. It's just-"

"I've told you before, Lelouch. You're better than you think you are." She stepped up and put a hand to his shoulder. He was quick to move his to hers, but...Hesitant to pry it away.

"I am a demon, Shirley. I take what I wish from the lives of others and use it for my own selfish needs...So why the hell do you even care?" His life had run on logic, reasoning, and utilization. And here he was, trying to push an immovable rock.

"Rivalz misses you. Milly misses you. I miss you. We want you back. The same guy who would spend all afternoon putting together a crossdressing party for someone else. The same Lelouch who would always help someone with their homework whenever they needed it. That same boy who'd hook a chain to an irresponsible driver's bumper.."

"He's dead."

"No, no he's not!"

"LOOK!" He cast his hand over as if he was presenting something grandiose to the Black Knights. Grandiose it was. A massive hole in the earth. "This is what I've caused, Shirley. This is all that I'm good at...But not If I can finish this." She took another look. Stoic as he was, and all of a sudden, he began to stir with concern.

"You didn't cause that blast...Did you?" He flinched. Perhaps he could recover enough to make her believe...Nope. The lie was already seen with those beautiful olive eyes before he could rattle it out. It was still worth a shot, at least.

"Of course I did! The Britannian Empire is in a stir and...A-and.." He was stuttering. Out of focus. Then again, she always was his worst distraction.

"I knew it...You're worried." It was jarring to have someone who could see past all of your lies. He'd managed to get away with so much telling them, and with her, it was like a pebble against a barn.

"Alright. You've got me. But what happened with Rolo shouldn't have even come close...I was arrogant. Foolish. You could've died.."

"And who's to say I haven't been dying this whole time? Oh, god... I'm so worried even when you're here, I'm still shaking." And it was true. Her uniform never seemed to stop shifting as they spoke.

"Shirley. I'm glad I've met someone like you. It's rare that you meet someone so caring and kind and...beautiful. In every respect." He looked down at his chest, seeing the front of his cape sway in the late afternoon sun. "I'm just afraid of losing you...Okay?"

She gave him a soft smirk, looking at her feet. The wind swayed and lifted her hair. His cape. "Lulu. Whatever we can do to change the world, I'm willing to help. That's what I wanted to tell you that day. Wherever you go, I want to be there. We can do a lot of good together, Lulu. Let me be by your side." He shied from her. Not to deny her or push her away. At least not truly. Lelouch looked away because he knew he was about to accept. "The power of the king will isolate you. I was once told that by a good friend of mine. Perhaps she was right, but.."

"Like I said before, Lulu." She took the helmet from his hands. Softer and a little more fragile than she remembered. Her hands placed the helmet back over his head, and he gazed upon her smile through his violet visor. "Love is power. And you said passion had the power to change the entire world."

He chuckled. "I guess you've got me there." Some flower petals had gotten caught in the wind. Many had been knocked down from the shockwaves during all the fighting. They were now dancing, spiraling as the wind picked up just a little more. There was a slight chill that late spring night, but he was caught snug between her and his cape.

"Just promise me to take care of yourself. No more foolish tactics. This won't be easy, but it's possible so long as we're on our toes."

"That's my lulu." She nodded. Then he lifted the helmet from his face. They kissed as the sun's rays touched the tips of the mountains. Summer had come early that year.

* * *

_"WE NEED MORE MORPHINE!"_

_"I'M TRYING!" The first voice muttered something while holding him down. The world shook around him. It spun and twirled and something about his head ached so badly. Worst of all, was his lower chest as it ached and throbbed. There was a dull feeling down there but.._

_"Here! Stick it in and he should be good!' They did, and a certain coolness ran through his veins in the coming seconds. It did little to keep him awake, though. He found himself spiraling down again. The last thing he heard before he completely fazed out was a few remarks from those around him._

_"They say he's critical. I'm not sure if he's going to make it." The other voice huffed. In concern or defiance, he could hardly tell. "We have to try."_

* * *

Four people emerged from the gateway. The door shook, it's power on this world no longer in its grasp. In a flash, it had disappeared from the cavern like a bygone memory. The only evidence left of its existence being the carvings and excavation site built around it. "Well...that was something.."

Suzaku nodded "It sure was.." There was an electrical tingle that stayed with them after they all left that place. Perhaps it was something to do with their matter interacting with cosmic powers like that. Shirley still wasn't quite sure what she witnessed, but it would likely stay with her for the rest of her life. The emperor himself, the strange world around them...Lelouch's lost mother. She'd remembered seeing news of her death as a child years ago, and pondering how sad it was that her kids would be without them. It was sad to hear of such a terrible crime befalling the royal family, but the truth behind it was stranger than fiction indeed. "So what now?"

"We'll have to lay low and keep them guessing. At least until we come up with a proper time to reappear." They just stepped out into the sunlight, and Shirley looked out on the shore. A few miles away, Tokyo was rebuilding itself along the shoreline.

C. C. opened up a phone, already opening up a map application and looking for some sort of isolated location. "The black knights are still going to be looking for us..'"

"And they know my ties to Suzaku and Shirley. I have an ideal location for us all to hide.." The trip was hasty. So much so that Shirley had no time to think about the events of the day. It'd answered the question about where "Zero" had gone during the first battle of Tokyo, while at the same time raising so many others. While the sight of the Shinkiro came into view, She opened her mouth to say something to Lelouch. Time was pressing, though, and he needed to focus. She would ask later. A knightmare flight, a shopping trip, and a purchase of property later, they had relocated.

* * *

Utashinai, Area 11

(Located in the formerly-known island of "Hokkaido")

Population: 3,494

Total Area: 55.99 km

They'd managed to purchase the home within that same morning. No kidding. They walked up to the housing agency and just handed off the funds that they'd been collecting just like that.

It was another few days of moving furniture and arranging proper rooms, clothes and purchasing food before they were finally able to collapse outside on the porch.

"Yep.." Sighed C. C.

"Yep.." Groaned Suzaku.

"Yep.."

"Mhmm," they all mumbled.

The rowan trees wisped in the hills below them. These were the days when Lelouch would either kick back or spend hours at a time analyzing the ins and outs of Pendragon. He'd used the hallways and corridors as hiding places as a small boy. He remembered how flustered Cornelia would get for him using the massive closets of their mothers, claiming it was somehow cheating to hide amongst the piles of clothes. That and he was hiding his face using their undergarments.

His lips couldn't help but cross a smile. All of these passages could be utilized in some form or another. To think that a childish game could lead to something so immense in the eyes of the empire. "Lulu?... Do you have a minute?"

Lelouch put down the map of the halls with haste, briefly forgetting that he no longer had to keep secrets with her. "Oh, yeah sure. What's up?"

"Well...The locals are having a sort of festival today. It looks really fun, and maybe we could go together. I'm sure C. C. And Suzaku wouldn't mind some time off."

Lelouch pondered the thought. This was going to go on for another couple of months, and there wasn't as much planning needed as Lelouch thought. Maybe some last-minute research and compensation once the big day got closer, but that was it, really. The summer sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the temperature was just perfect.

"Well...I don't see any reason not to."

Her eyes lit up, making the light outside seem minuscule in comparison. "Come on! The events are just starting!"

"THIS EARL-GAH! SH-SHIRLEY!" Their combined objections and laughter were heard careening down the hill. So excited was the young girl that she had to run back up the steps and into Suzaku and C. C.'s respective rooms to ask them about the festival. Both barely registered what they had approved before they were back down the hill, Lelouch hardly having the stamina and breath to defy her.

* * *

The Festival itself was built in the style of a western carnival. The more traditional summer festival was due in another few weeks, which Lelouch knew he was going to be dragged to as well. Britannia was in a panic and the people he cared for were fine...Except for Nunnally.

_Did she feel anything when it happened? Was she thinking of me when it..._

His thoughts went back to the rooftop garden. He could mourn Euphemia and Nunnally later. God only knew this was what Suzaku went through since that terrible day. He could still feel his finger on the cold steel-"GO!"

"G-Gah!" With a sharp tug, Lelouch pulled the trigger on his small mounted water gun, aiming for the center of the target. He honestly didn't see the point in the design of the game. Why give the player an entire target when the whole point was to shoot point-blank?

Either way, it was enough for him to win a just-large-enough stuffed penguin. He didn't have a use for such things and simply handed it off to Shirley. "Awww isn't it cute? It's too bad they're all the way at the bottom of the globe."

Lelouch shrugged. "If it makes them happier, I suppose."

"Lulu, have you ever tried out a chili dog before?"

"Isn't that a Britannian food?"

She shrugged. "Influence, I guess.." Her words tapered off a little at the notion. Fun as it was, the very presence of this carnival said something. Britannia still had its hold on Japan, and even after the empire would lose its grip on the area, there would still be wounds and culture clash to deal with. The impact had been made. He took a deep breath. Nunnally was gone, but she'd want him to enjoy himself. They were alive and had come farther than some would ever dream of.

The night was nearly upon them, and they were walking along, looking at the different rides. "How about that mini roller-coaster? That looks fun."

Shirley giggled. "Lulu, that's for little kids."

"And that's as large as any coaster needs to be.." For once, his tactical savvy had failed him. In speaking out loud, he'd failed to account for the fast-twirling, god-forsaken torture device behind him.

"Oh luluuuu.." She purred, a grin spreading across that warm face. Slowly, he turned and gazed upon...The Leviathan.

"Oh..Oh god no.." The beast was at least a hundred feet tall. The machine spun like the propeller blades of an airplane, and on each end, the passengers screamed in surrender to despair. His Charon, his ferryman (or woman) to this hellish invention, was to be the lady he'd trusted so much.

"Shirley...No..NOO-" She did her best to comfort him. It was amazing to see the great ZERO brought to his knees by a park ride that all of the "cool kids" were going on. A couple of times he nearly vomited, but a gentle hand was there to keep him together. Until they got off.

"There there...Almost done..I'm surprised you could scream that loudly." Thankfully, it wasn't too messy, and he was done before every guest at the carnival could see. They sat down for a few minutes, each having a drink while they (Lelouch) recovered from the ride."Alright...How about we try something a little easier…?"

He rubbed the cool soda against his forehead, wondering what kind of monstrous parents would take their children to a place like this. "Like what?"

"You like being in control sooo, how about that?" Shirley pointed to a bumper-car rink. Inside, the riders were engaged in battle, thrust into the controls of rolling vehicles reminding the prince of knightmares.

"We'll see," He smirked. "We'll see.." The line was brisk enough since more attention was on the larger rides. A few children and their older brothers and sisters were along for the ride.

Shirley picked a neon-green car, Lelouch, a black one with golden stripes on the side. "This will be the spearhead to carve my victory."

Some of the children (and parents) were looking at this young adolescent plot his devious conquest of this carnival ride and wondering about the status of his blood/alcohol level. "Uh...Lulu...Please, don't get too-"

"You've made a mistake coming here." Something about the exiled prince's hushed chuckling and sinister smile had Shirley thinking that it might've been a mistake to bring him here.

With a dark grin on his face, she watched with wonder. Quick reflexes from piloting his Knightmare frames were serving him well as the hapless children were bumped about. Though he knew enough not to hurt them, it was clear there was one dominant car shadowing all of them. "With the right speed and turn, I can recover faster than the other cars. They will simply try to cluster together to trap everyone in, while I remain on at the back, and can bump them as much as I please...Hahaha...HAHAHA-"

A Neon green car smashed him into the side. Lelouch was quick to recover, and with a clever smirk, she zipped away into the crowd. All at once, His plan had fallen apart, and Lelouch was left at the mercy of the children. Their demonic little squeals pelted him as he was bumped about. He walked away, sighing. "Well, I had them going for a little while.."

"That's the spirit! Don't let losing to grade-schoolers bother you!"

"...Let's get something to eat.." They went to an ice cream stand. He ordered chocolate. Her vanilla. Sprinkles and strawberry and chocolate syrup on each respectively. "Shirley, please. Give me back my spoon."

"The Train of Icy Sweetness is coming. Toot, toot." Adorable as it was, Lelouch found it jarring to hear something so corny. "Open up!" Naturally, he did. And the taste...Made him shake. "What's wrong?"

"It's just...It's been a while since I've had some Ice cream. Last time was-"

"At the summer festival last year. You've always been one to optimize your diet." Another voice came from behind, a quick turn revealed Suzaku himself, wearing what was, in C. C.'s opinion, the ugliest shirt they'd purchased from the market. "Suzaku! What are you here for?"

"C. C. Wanted some peace and quiet and I figured I might as well get some relaxation in while I can."

"Suzaku, why don't you join us? The ice cream's great!" He smiled a little, but Lelouch noticed the slight shift in his eyes. As did Shirley. They glanced at each other as Suzaku stuttered.

"Actually, I was just planning on just hitting a few rides and having a little bit of food. I'm not staying for long" Lelouch noticed the look on his friend's face, gazing down at the dirt beneath his feet, seeming to avoid them more and more as the silence between words thickened.

Lelouch nodded. "We'll be here if you need us. And call if anyone...Undesirable notices." The Knight of the round gave them a knowing nod. He was quick to put on his old pair of shades and blend into the crowd. Another head amongst hundreds. Another Eleven mixed with Britannians. Next to him, a sigh escaped his girlfriend's lips and trickled into the stand beneath them.

Shirley cleared her throat "So...Wanna take a ride on the Ferris Wheel?"

A roll of cotton candy was handed off to a pair of children. A brother and a sister. Both of them smiling as they took the soft treat after handing the vendor his cash. Soft, fluffy and pink. "Yeah. Let's go." He was quick to finish his ice cream, and Shirley did the same.

They went up to the line for the ride, silent as the people above and around them chattered. Families siblings...Lovers. Somewhere in this park, Suzaku was buying some food or taking a ride. By himself. While Shirley was still at his side. She looked down at the grass and said nothing. Though, it didn't take a genius to know that something was going on. The ride finished its rotation, and they were placed in a red cart.

"It's so high up...It's a wonder, really. They don't make 'em like they used to anymore." He didn't answer. Down below, he tried to look for Suzaku. To check on him as his eyes zipped past all of the westerners.

_"-omething like kill all the Japanese or.."_

"Tch!" His gaze fell back to the opposite side. Away from the park and into the trees. Shirley said nothing. The ride was set to last around ten minutes, and as the march of time proved, the first few were quite painful. They sat in silence while he let his hair hand as a shroud around his head.

"Lulu...I just wanted to ask...Those bodies and that Thought Elevator.." He looked up, the conversation he'd figured he'd have later opened up right before his eyes. "Your father said it was the collective consciousness of all humans. Everybody. Alive and dead." The lights of the carnival bounced off her cheeks and hair in a soft caress. Then like jewels as a couple of tears rolled down her cheek. "I don't want to ruin the night but...Nevermind."

They were alive, and together again. Nothing could "ruin" it. Lelouch pressed her forward. "What is it? You're fine, just tell me."

Shirley clutched her hand to her chest. "Was my father really in there? Amongst all of those bodies?" Those things. The finite, yet never-ending pillar reaching to a cosmic plane that even Charles might've only had a small grasp of in knowing it's wonders.

"Well...that...I don't know.." She stared back at him. Eyes open and ready for any kind of answer that would let her sleep like she was a little girl. When said father wasn't possibly wrapped in a writhing mass of bodies in another universe. "To be honest, I don't really know...But C. C. Told me about a place called C's World."

She tasted the name on her lips. A rather unusual label for the afterlife. "C's World?"

"A place where all human beings go after they die I guess. She never really told me much about it...To be honest, I'm not sure I really want to know."

She nodded. "Maybe it's a nice place out there. Somewhere where dad doesn't have to worry as much. Then again, it'd be terrible, having to wait all that time for someone to.." That's right. The news reports on that fateful day before the battle had all displayed the same message. That Zero himself had shot the princess and was the sole assassin. But then again, she did massacre the elevens, or that's what the media told her until Rolo had cleared it up in his note.

A choke escaped her. "I'm sorry.."

He sighed. "Don't be. And Shirley...I didn't know your dad very well.." Whether he knew or not, he was going to have to look her in the eye and tell her something he wasn't quite sure himself. That was pretty normal these days.

"I know he's in a better place. And he's proud to call you his daughter."

She sniffed at the thought. Somewhere, Joseph was beaming, bothering the other departed ones as he bragged on an on about that young girl on earth that was his. And Princess Euphemia, declaring to the heavens and the earth that that Japanese boy was the most wonderful man she'd ever met or could ever love.

"Lulu. Thanks for tonight. I never thought I'd get a chance like this again. After all, that's happened, the world felt like it picked you up and left me behind."

He smiled at her, wondering how the hell he'd been blessed with her. "Listen. We'll do things like this more often. Before we go to Pendragon. Once we get there it'll be pretty busy having to manage an entire empire. Let's just enjoy the now, while we're here."

Without another word, she leaned in and he met hers. Some people in the line aww'd and oooh'd but they were paid little mind. This moment and the warm night air around them was theirs.

NOTE: Answer to a question about the last chapter, Kallen was stuck in the Guren after a stray blow during the Battle of Tokyo II bent the plating of her cockpit's doors inward. She was still stuck with the BKs trying to pry her out when Lelouch and Suzaku escaped. Looks like I wasn't too clear on that, so sorry~

Internet router went down the other day, but we're getting it repaired soon. I will continue to update when I get the chance. And yes, Utashinai is a real-world location. I searched for the smallest Japanese town I could find lol.


	7. Preparation

Morning coffee wasn't much to brag about. It was the cheaper brand, and C. C. had had her fair share of better brew in her long lifetime. But, it would suffice. She felt perky enough to begin the day of work.

Lelouch had requested she do a little favor for him, and she felt the obligation to follow through. She'd been taught the value of her existence, and it was only right...After what happened. The weight of it only seemed to pile onto the logs she was putting in place. It was a bit of work, but she needed to make absolutely sure that there couldn't be any injuries beyond a scrape or scratch.

All branches were snapped off, and they were lined up in a row. She sighed, took a sip of her water bottle, a couple of slices from her box, and continued.

A large wall to set up, a pit to water down. This was supposed to be a DIY jungle gym but would it actually suffice? She tugged on one of the rungs. Not the best, but if something were to happen, she'd at least have some cheap plastic fall on her, and little else. "All right. Let the games begin."

By the time she'd arrived at the house, the girl had already started brewing her own morning coffee. "Oh, good morning C.-" The last thing she expected was to be grabbed like a drunkard and tossed out the front porch.

Hands on her hips and whistle shining in the morning sunlight, C. C. roared down to this little welp of a woman. "TODAY WE'RE GETTING SERIOUS, FENETTE! GET YOUR TRAINING GEAR ON!"

"Bmph ynmph juph tupphd mm uh dm drr."

This next one had birds in the nearby trees flying away, and a neighbor down the road wondering if murder was taking place. "WHAT WAS THAT!?"

She took her head out of the pile of dirt and glared."But you just tossed me out of the door! My clothes are inside!"

C, C, realized she might've gotten a bit too excited. Given, there wasn't much excitement around here, nor would there be until Lelouch was ready to take the palace. "W-well, get your stuff on and meet me out there!" She pointed to the bizarre contraptions standing out in the backyard.

"Is that a jungle gym?"

"GO!"

Shirley jumped, thinking of Coach Viletta on a bad day. "ON MY WAY!" Faster than she thought she ever could, the redhead came tumbling down the steps, stilling putting on her gym shoes the entire way. She'd outfitted herself in the typical Ashford gym getup. White shirt, green shorts, her hair in a ponytail.

"Good enough, I suppose. Let's move!" The morning was filled with Shirley jumping over the logs, only falling and scratching herself maybe once. Her height and leg strength certainly helped with the wall, and the rungs on the monkey bars were perhaps a little lower than she would've liked. Her legs were just long enough to touch the ground, so C. C. would be forced to walk her along and yell at her if even a toe rested itself for a moment.

And the mud pit was where she had the most trouble. C. C. promised to wash her clothes once they were done, and Shirley was quick to jump in, but something about crawling wasn't really clicking with her. "You're not going to give up from a little dirt are you!?"

Shirley lifted her head, bits of mud falling from her face and sweat staining her shirt and pants. "N-never!"

"Then MOVE IT!" She gritted her teeth, taking almost a full minute. Perhaps next time she would put in a little less water and make the pit a bit shorter. And use netting that didn't threaten to crush anyone crawling under. Give her a break, okay? She was new at this training thing.

They ran through this a dozen times. Then twenty. Then thirty. Once the morning sun was transitioning to midday, C. C. was starting to get bored and Shirley was exhausted. "Alright...Alright...That's good. Great job today, Fenette." C. C. took the ballcap that she'd been wearing and slapped it onto her head as she lifted the water bottle to Shirley's lips.

After taking a good sip, and then another, and then another, Shirley asked something that had been burning through her veins as did her blood all morning. "So...Can you tell me what is the reason for this?"

Her trainer sat down on a nearby rock, enjoying the shade beneath the trees. "Lelouch wanted to get you ready for what's to come. He wanted to make sure you're in tip-top shape."

She took a sip of water, gazing through the water in it like a strange little kaleidoscope. "And what about him?"

C. C. shrugged. "'Too busy with planning our route into Pendragon.'" Of course,

A pout crossed the girl's mud-ridden face. "Lulu..."

"Oh, I'll make sure he gets a swimming lesson or two with you, don't worry." She gave her a thumbs up. "I'm not letting him slack off just because he's reviewing hallways he knew when he was a boy." C. C. opened her pizza box and took another bite. The microwave reheating was now long gone, but pizza was like sex. When it was good, it was good, and when it was bad, it was still pretty good.

Shirley huffed, leaning on the rock she was sitting on and gazing over at the pizza box. In the same way C. C. was still willing to eat it, it looked just as inviting to her. Just as his hand reached the edge of the box, it was slapped away. "H-hey!"

The witch scowled, and her voice hit the same tone it had been all morning. "I don't think you've quite earned the right to eat. Not yet."

"Wh-what!?" A knife slipped out from her sleeve. Shirley gasped, only to notice that it was completely covered in red and lacked any sort of metallic sheen. A rubber knife.

"If you can disarm me, Shirley Fenette, then I might let you have a slice." This was no time to be sheepish. She clenched her fists together and ignored the weariness in her arms and legs.

"I'll give you everything I've got!" Her sudden passion surprised C. C. The last time she'd given someone a regimen like that, it had been back in the 40s and the young men who had fallen victim to her had all tried to beat her into the ground after trying something like this.

They began to circle one another, each trying to read each other's thoughts as they moved. Shirley was attempting to come in at an angle, but the witch kept on checking her. She paused, stepped forward, then backed away, leaving C. C. to flinch then regain her position. Often, the first move determined the outcome of a grapple like this, and a single misstep could cost one their life.

When she thought Shirley wasn't paying attention, C. C. ducked under and moved in. Shirley darted to her far right, leaving her to run to her position and lose the lower-ground advantage. Her attempt to jump up and take her had failed. Shirley went for a kick, although she was holding back. "You need to put in more force! The enemy is only going to be thankful if you don't take them seriously!"

"R-right!" This girl. Should she be faced with some kind of assailant, she'd be dropped like a sack of potatoes. "Don't. Hold. Back!" She shouted in succession with every swing of her knife. A few times, her blade would've grazed the girl's skin, and a couple would've torn her throat out.

She was stumbling, and barely able to keep up with her knife thrusts. She was batting them away one by one, but there wasn't any attempt to take the weapon away from her.

C. C. kept going, making herself a little bit easier and easier until she backed away.

"What the hell are you even-"

Shirley swung out her hand, and a large clump of mud, still wet, covered the code holder's eyes. She immediately let go of the knife, trying to wipe away the grime and dirt as she heard Shirley come towards her. The stinging in her eyes kept her from seeing that the weapon had fallen and then was subsequently kicked to her far right.

By the time she could even start to see in front of her, Shirley's arms had slipped between hers and the gravity around her had flipped. With her surprising strength, the girl had lifted her up and slammed her onto a rock. Not enough to injure, but it certainly took the wind out of her. That, and she heard something crumple up. "Oh, crap...I'm so sorry."

C. C. was slowly getting up, groaning but impressed. "No, no that was great! I don't see why..." And then she did see why. In the midst of her passion, Shirley had destroyed the food she was to be rewarded with. This particular town's pizza place didn't exactly have the sturdiest boxes.

"Ah. Well. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to order another one. You see Lelouch's wallet around...?" Content and happy as a clam, Shirley had lifted the crushed cardboard up, pried it from the cardboard and took a bite. "You still think it's good?"

She shrugged, swallowing the piece she'd bitten off. "I just don't want it to go to waste, I guess." A muddy smile, and then she kept eating. Together they finished the pizza, enjoying her victory and the moment. The future ahead is uncertain, and the sun was shining.

"You know...You might want to have a little more caution next time. Just saying. You put in a lot of good energy but you might want to put it into focus."

"Then...I guess I'll have to put passion into my focus!" Her right arm curled up, showing off a modest, but sizeable muscle for someone her age.

C. C. smiled. "There's a good girl. Now finish your pepperoni. We have double cheese coming in the next twenty minutes."

"Fine by me!" They continued to snack, letting the sauce tickle their taste buds and the bread and cheese fill their starving bellies.

* * *

"I'm not doing it.."

"Come on! It's fine. I'll show you every step of the way!"

Lelouch quivered a little, his muscles tense as he looked down at his wet fiance. "I...I've never really done it before."

"It's easy. Even Suzaku can do it! He's really good...For a guy." That's right...She'd done it with girls too. An entire class of them. Truth be told, Shirley always was a little more open to exploration that he was. But the thought of such rigorous activity... Of course, he wanted to do this with her...But it just felt too soon.

"Oh just jump in already! The water's fine!" They were at the local river on a sunny afternoon, and the current had slowed down quite a bit in the last few days. Every once in a while they would see the local children come out here to climb on the rocks or go for a dip.

A minute ago, Lelouch had dared to pop his toe in, and he'd damn near frozen into an ice cube, right in the heat of the summer sun. Without mercy, the goddess of water thrashed a wave of the wretched liquid over his body, paralyzing him on the grassy shore as he shrieked in agony. "Y-YOU...YOU CALL _THAT_ FINE!?"

"Well, you're the one who suggested we come out here! If you didn't want swim lessons, you should've said something!"

"I-I think I'll help C. C. with that homemade pizza..I've never tried Anchovy bef-" Had he walked with a little more foresight, Lelouch would've taken into account just how wet the grass would've become. And for the first time since putting on the mask...The ground had betrayed Zero.

To this very day, the local Utashinai children will telltale of a young girl's scream that can still be heard on the winds along the creek. _"GAAAH IT'S FREEZING! IT'S FREEZING!" _Folktale claims to be the phrase. "I-I'm drowning!"

"The water over there is only four feet deep..."

"I..Think I'm passing out."

She sighed. "Maybe if you stopped splashing around so much, you'd have a little energy. You look like a toddler." Lelouch gritted his teeth, and let his body adjust to the cold water. Shirley waved him to the deeper water where she was. Lelouch could've broken glass when his nipples went under. Shirley was laughing the whole time, and he did his best to hide the bright redness on his cheeks.

When he was finally able to stop shivering and his body accepted it's inevitable frostbite (his words), Lelouch began to learn the backstroke. "I just put my arms back like...This?"

"Mhmm! And then flutter your legs while rotating them backward. Like a pinwheel on each arm!" He tried, and it looked like a frog having an asthma attack. When Shirley regained her breath after laughing so hard, she offered to try the forward stroke instead.

"I don't know if I can really do this, Shirley..."

"You were the leader of a rebellion! If you can do that, lulu, you can do just about anything, really."

"Swimming and leading a rebellion are two very different things."

"Maybe...But they require both a sound sense of body and mind. Just apply yourself a bit." Lelouch looked a little bit downstream. There was a large rock that looked just big enough for him to stand on, and if he could use the small amount of knowledge he'd just acquired.

"Hold on. Can you keep an eye on me while I try something?"

She smiled. "Sure. I've got your back." Milly had always suggested that Shirley get a job as a lifeguard, but balancing such a thing and working in the student council would've been difficult. He took the deepest breath he could, letting the oxygen enter his lungs and give him as much breath as he could.

A powerful thrust, and Lelouch as thrust towards his goal, his arms swiping through the water at top speed and only the limits of his flesh standing between him and that rock. He ignored the pain in his arms and legs and fought to reach the end. _"I need to give her something to be proud of!"_

Alas, the prince's show of bravado ended. Just before he touched the edge of the rock. That was seven feet away. He sighed, distraught and defeated. But he wouldn't let the water claim him. With his tongue, he could possibly use it as a paddle and-

Shirley wrapped her arm around his, and they floated back towards the shallow end of the river. "Not everyone gets it the first time around. It's okay, Lulu." She patted him on the back. Gave him a water-laced kiss on the cheek. He gave her a clever grin, and she only had a brief moment to realize what he was about to do when a splash of water spattered across her face. "You little-!"

The two of them fought for who would gain the most splashes over the other. No one seemed to prevail, from what was visible, and the two lied down on the grass as they regained their strength. Lelouch figured it was the fresh air or the well-made breakfast they put together, but he was left to wonder how he had such newfound strength in that moment.

Lelouch turned his head, and there she was. Droplets sparkling and running across her body. Muscular, and well-toned, but not enough to lose her effeminate look. She smiled, bangs of hair clinging to her face. "Eyes up here, olympian."

"I could say the same for you." She smiled and was about to flirt and joke with him...When she did take her own look. Shirley squealed.

"G-GAHH! LULU! YOUR TRUNKS!" He looked down and saw nothing out of the ordinary. His trunks were right there. Floating out there in the water while he...Lied here...without...

Shirley was curled up, her back beside him as she whimpered something, her hands over her eyes. In retrospect, she would at least be happy that..._It _worked. The next few moments were filled with Lelouch spouting apologies faster than the fire rate of an automatic weapon. Once he'd come back to shore, he was fully dressed and tried his best to lie down and act like it never happened, and Shirley obliged. "Well...Um...So I heard C. C. trained you a little bit the other day. She wasn't too rough, was she?"

Her look was a bit hesitant. Shirley glanced at the ground for a brief moment. "Oh..No. I think it was pretty effective." Lelouch nodded, glad to know that he could trust his partner-in-crime enough with his other partner-in-crime.

"So...What do you plan to do once we take the empire by storm?"

She turned to him, still trying to formulate what exactly he meant. Lelouch elaborated. "When everything is said and done and we've got a little spare time on our hands."

"Hmm...I was actually trying to see if I could finish my education with a royal tutor or something. I feel bad for just dipping out of school like this."

He smiled. "Well, we do have some of the best scholars at our disposal. History, Mathematics, Linguistics. Chess."

"They actually have a full course for chess?"

"The best you'll ever take. If I felt like my skill was slipping, I'd go there to brush up a bit." Shirley could hardly contain her giddiness at the image of a little prince Lelouch sitting down and learning every possible aspect of the game.

"Professor Fischer was his name. Every time I got a checkmate, he'd make me run around the villa for a full lap." She was left to wonder why he hadn't continued to gain any muscle, but his pride had taken enough of a beating today.

"Actually...There's something else I'd like to do. The palace has a swimming pool, correct?"

Lelouch thought back to Clovis, Cornelia, and Euphemia all splashing him with water while he sat by the poolside trying to practice some chess moves. "Of course."

"I'd rather we get you trained up there. It'll be a little safer."

Lelouch raised a brow." And warmer." Well, that depended on the time of year. That water was pretty cold when it scattered across his board. Dear god...

"Hmm...Maybe." He groaned, and Shirley pulled him close once again. Her wet hair strands brushed into his and they relaxed on the shore together. Hand-in-hand, the two felt the air of a fresh summer pass by as they enjoyed this time. There would be missteps and trials, but to them, this fleeting time was paradise.

* * *

_He lied in a cold room, his bed a possible gateway into the bowels of hell. The drugs had no longer taken as hard of a toll on him. They kept his mind at enough distance that he paid little mind to the...shards protruding out of him._

_It was covered in a sheet, and they were doing their best to contain it. Doctors were coming in and out assessing the damage and making sure they had the right tools. "It'll have to be quick. One wrong move and he's going to bleed out his life all over the hospital floor."_

_They stared down at him for a moment. He would normally be worried or terrified, but his mind was still weary and the drugs were putting him in a state where hardly anything really mattered anymore. "We'll get the procedure started. ASAP." They kept talking, but again, it all bled into a single, compiled mess._

_"...get it started...get it.."_

NOTE: The internet is back up! Daily updates should continue. Thanks again for reading~


	8. Usurpation

"Start."

The crowd was gathered, the guards were at their posts like they were supposed to be. Which meant that about 90% of them were just out of sight for them to slip in. Once they got to the Emperor's walk, a pathway for Charles to go from his quarters to the hall, there would be no stopping them. Nobody would dare enter and disrupt the event headed by the most powerful man in the world.

"The _former _most powerful man in the world.." The royal guard and staff had been geass'd to send word of the announcement across the globe.

Overhead, Milly's voice echoed on the screens throughout pendragon. "Today Emperor Charles will be making an appearance to give an important announcement to the entire nation. We will be bringing you live coverage of this from Pendragon Imperial Palace, even though his majesty has not made any public appearances in the past month."

"I wonder what Milly and Rivalz will think. When they see us like this. And Mom." Lelouch looked at her, a little worried before she popped up. "I'm ready though. Just...A little nervous."

"Walking up the carpet is easy. Nunnally and I did it with our family many times before. It's just for show. They'll know who you are when they need to." Lelouch patted her on the back, feeling the tension along her muscles.

"Right," She breathed with a nod. "And Suzaku's got us covered."

He nodded. "Him and every knightmare pilot surrounding the area." (all under the effects of geass, of course) If all else failed, Jeremiah and C. C. were on standby to provide covering fire and fly them out of Pendragon.

They looked up at the clock. One minute. "All right. Get in place."

"Umm...Lulu?"

"Yeah?"

She reached out to him, grasping his hand gently. "Until we get to the throne." Shirley's cheeks turned a rosy red.

"If you insist," He smiled. Should everyone see them like this, the message would be clear, and surely the rumors would fly. Then again, it was their intention to keep the public and the rest of the world as confused as possible while they built the future. C. C. Was right. She really was starting to think like him.

"Presenting his imperial royal majesty!" The guard cried out. The trumpets played, the song resonating supremacy and victory in all regions and lands, just as they were being overtaken by a group of teenagers. Irony incarnate.

Two people stepped out from the hall, a prince well-dressed in black and a white ruffled neckerchief, and a princess in a white dress with her golden cape flowing behind her. It was flashy, but the shocked expressions on their faces tickled him inside. Shirley's eyes darted back and forth, but she remained calm and focused on their walk to the throne. "Wh-who's that!?" Someone cried in dismay.

"Where's his majesty!?" There wasn't enough room for them both, so they both stood in front of the chair, opposite of each other while Lelouch finally decided to give them the leisure of knowing what was going on

Sitting tall and proud, Lelouch made sure with every fiber of his being that this first impression would remain in the history books for years to come. "Greetings. I am Lelouch Vi Britannia of the royal family. 99th Emperor of the realm."

Gasps competed with dead silence across the room, both of them broiling into a wave of shock. "I-it's really you!?"

"..You're alive.." An older but familiar voice had to work to spit out every letter of each word as she tried to believe what she was seeing.

"Yes sister, I am. I have returned from the depths of hell and back." The dumb look on Guinevere's face was priceless. Always a woman who'd assumed she knew everything.

A man with well-kept hair and a beard stepped forward. Odysseus, always the negotiator, even in the face of madness. "Lelouch, I am so happy that you're alive. When Nunnally was found, I was certain that you would be alive too! Now, aren't you carrying this joke a bit too far? Come, step down from that thr-"

"Charles Vi Britannia no longer lives. Your new emperor is the one who took his life." Lelouch sat up, not even bothering to look at Odysseus as Shirley declared their emperor's demise. "Which makes me the next emperor!"

"What are you saying!? Are you nuts!?"

Guinevere had had enough of this madness. "Guards! Seize that fool and have him executed! He's guilty of murdering our emperor!" The men came rushing forth, their spears at the ready, and Shirley found herself frozen in place. Little would she realize her sudden, stark fear would be seen with the same awe and shock that came with Lelouch's stoicism. Neither of them moved when Suzaku down from the shadows above and shattered the spear blades with a swift kick.

"May I present my knight...Suzaku Kururugi! A Knight of the Round above others. I hereby declare him Knight of Zero!" His hand extended to Shirley, and a rush of adrenaline came as she realized that all eyes were on her. "And behold, your new Empress! Shirley J. Britannia! The newest lifeblood to our nation!"

"This girl!?" A noble spat, his face contorted in outrage.

"A commoner!? What's the meaning of all this!?" She shook and would be thankful later that the cameras couldn't catch every time she did.

Odysseus stepped forward to object. From what Shirley had seen, he was a genuinely kind man. Level headed and trying to talk Lelouch out of this bizarre and sudden turn of events. He went unheard. She would make sure he was granted the least of their wrath. He deserved at least that much. "Please Lelouch, just stop with thi-"

Such petty objections were silenced. In an instant, he stood tall and gave the national salute. "We hear and acknowledge your power, your highness! All hail Emperor Lelouch!"

He must've spread his power across the room. She'd seen it in action before, but it was still uncanny to see someone's mentality completely change before her eyes. Shirley wondered if she'd been so sudden and quick to obey when he had erased her memories.

The crowd was bowing before them. Any reinforcements that would come would be blocked by the Shinkiro standing in the only other corridor leading to this room, with C. C. At its cockpit. Years later even, Pendragon still had such a flawed and exploitable layout that Lelouch had nearly chosen another one just to make it more interesting.

He rose, taking her hand. "Give praise to your empress! To your knight and me!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

"GLORY TO THE KNIGHT OF ZERO!"

"ALL HAIL EMPRESS SHIRLEY!"

They had done it. As the cheers built upon themselves, so did her confidence. The throne was now theirs, and there was much work to do. And with plenty of resources and time, the world was their oyster. At this moment, holding his hand and standing by their friend...That cloudy day at that cemetery felt so far away.

There was still an underlying fear. Knowing that Schneizel and the Black Knights were still out there, and there would be a lot of explaining to do once she saw her mother again. So Shirley took this moment and soaked up every bit of pride she could at the name: Empress of Britannia. They walked off the carpet hand-in-hand, and into the history of the empire.

* * *

_His eyes and ears...They'd lost sense a while ago. From what it felt like, only a couple of hours had passed. It was an awful feeling. The sense of control and touch so close, yet so painfully far away. He wished that it would just end._

_No. It couldn't end. Somewhere close, someone was talking to him. There was a touch at his fingertips. And then there was nothing once more._

* * *

The first few weeks took some getting used to. Upon assuming the throne, they were met with odd glances from the old staff and servants that had worked for Charles. The sudden downfall and replacement of their old master had to be jarring for them to just accept. With the rest of the empire under a hypnotic newfound sense of loyalty, they had no one to turn to.

Before their second public appearance, a formal introduction to the nation they ruled, He stood next to her changing room, a thin wall of paper separating them as she dared to put on her...Newest formal garments. "Don't worry. I've spent the whole day coming up with contingencies...There isn't a single person that could double-cross us at any point."

"The Black Knights know where we are now though.."

He nodded. "And now we have the resources of the entire empire under our control." The Tokyo Settlement was still being rebuilt, and further patrols were looking out for Black Knight forces. Their morale would be a little hampered by the loss of Zero, but that would do little to halt them. For better or worse, he'd taught them to press on in the face of adversity.

"Oh they might know where I am, but having been their leader means I know every last place they could hide." At the very least, the ones they had on hand before the betrayal.

"Japan's not going to need them anytime soon." That was true. Which served as a segway into another conversation he'd have to have with her.

"It would seem that my brother, Schneizel has disappeared."

Lelouch could see her trying to lift the rest of the robe to her shoulders. "Oh yeah, I heard some of the nobles mention that earlier. Right about the same time that he'd made contact with the Black Knights."

"The secrets of nobles are only secrets so long as people keep their lips tight." Which was hardly the case when you talked to the right people at the right time and place.

"I mean..It's still strange. Having the eyes of the world watching you at every turn..Grr-ah!"

"What's the matter? Do you need help?"

Shirley paused. The shadowy form clutched the robe to its chest and turned to face him, not even meeting his eyes through the paper. "Well...If you insist." A flush of red crossed his cheeks. Here he was, the mighty Emperor standing fully dressed in the robes of past rulers, and the notion of looking at his own girlfriend half-dressed was worrying him.

"Come on Lelouch! Be a man!" He could practically hear Rivalz laughing in his ear.

"Alright. Here I come!" He turned the corner, and much as he'd expected, the sight brought warmth to his chest and face.

"Eep!" Instinctively, the soon-to-be empress covered her body as much as she could with her robes. Lelouch did his best to be professional and defuse her surprise by walked around to her back. So well-toned and smooth-

He slapped himself in the face internally. Externally when she wasn't looking. "H-Here. Just, tighten the back and the rest should hold out a lot better."

"Like this?" Her arms started to reach from behind her, and in less than a minute they'd managed to put the whole thing on.

"You look...Amazing." Shirley paused, gazing into his eyes to find any kind of fib in them. Any hint that he was just being nice. When she could find any, she went to the mirror, and couldn't believe her eyes.

An image of a shining young girl in a white robe with black hems and linings up and along the skirt and arms stood before her. Patterns of gold and eyes with red-pearl pupils were the centerpieces of each one, while two lengths of diamond-tipped cloth hung behind her like wings. Around her head, an ebony crown of thorns hung, the inner rim made so none of them would harm the wearer. A crown of thorns, for the bearer of sins.

She was to join him in bearing the hatred that would inevitably come with this. Neighbors, friends, family, and naturally much of the nation would hate them both for suddenly taking the empire and changing it so quickly after snatching the throne. Something she'd been readying herself for in this last month. Even then, it felt pretty heavy on her head.

Lelouch was still taking it all in. Soon there would have to be a formal wedding. The court and nobility wouldn't accept it, even if the latter's system was to be abolished in time. The thought of it made his chest flutter. If the empress's robes looked so good on her now then..."Your majesty!" Jeremiah Gottwald ran in, eyes pacing as the noise outside grew. "They're waiting for you!"

Lelouch waved him off, doing his best not to offend Jeremiah. "Tell them it'll be just another minute."

"Right..." Jeremiah sighed. Willing as he was to serve the son of Marianne, he was going to have to have a talk with him about timeliness and the royal bloodline. "Just follow me, alright? Walk tall and be proud. This is our day, so don't hold back."

"R-right. I'm the one in charge.." That sentence, meant to encourage her, only made the shivering in her skin and spine a little worse.

"Come on. The world is waiting for us." They joined their royal escort, headed by Suzaku and Jeremiah. The walk down was long, every step corresponding with flashes from news cameras. Tonight, She would have to call mom and do her best to explain.

_"Oh hi, mom? Yeah, it's your daughter who hasn't been seen in just over a month. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sleeping in the imperial royal chambers now."_

Shirley had left her a note stating that she was going somewhere to do something she needed to, but that most likely just made her more worried. God forbid the authorities had visited her house and explained everything before the broadcast. Not that she'd be much happier to begin with.

They were standing at the edge of the stage again, and she felt a knot in her stomach. _"Just imagine everyone in their underwear. That way, you'll feel less embarrassed!"_

What Milly had failed to account for, was that none of these supposed near-naked people had twelve microphones pointing in their faces. Or cameras aimed at them. Broadcasting to almost every household in the nation. Possibly the world...

Their time had come, and Lelouch made his way to the podium. They were outside, on a stage facing a massive, open garden lined by trees from both sides, the city itself spread out in front of them. "Royal Empire of Britannia. I have come to establish the future and furthering of this great nation's stance in the world." Already she saw some sour faces in the crowd. Hopefully, the geass'd guards hidden amongst their ranks would be fast enough if..No. They would be just fine. "First of all, we will be seeking to establish a certain peace with the Black Knights and the people of Area 11. Formerly known as "Japan."

Outrage roared out, the nobles were rising out of their seats and a cacophony of anger was all that greeted him. With a calm wave of his hand, Sutherlands emerged from the trees, making many jump and cry out in panicked shouts. Of course, very few were actually armed. Only enough to deal with a potential terrorist attack. The rest were there for "aggressive negotiations."

"Now, if you'll please listen. My second act will be to abolish the noble hierarchy and establish a common standing ground for all citizens beneath the Britannian flag. A nation divided is a nation that cannot win wars or build any sort of peace. I'm sure you've seen that thanks to my father's rule.." There were murmurs and hateful spats. And very little else. They were at gunpoint and their ruler was no longer catering to their wants. Surely his words would have some believing he was a communist should the tabloids get their papers out fast enough.

"And finally, I will be establishing a new order to increase funds and relief to the damage done to the Tokyo Settlement and any surrounding areas. Details will be given later today." Though this was met with less anger, a lot of expressions didn't change. Sure, friends and fellow britannians may be helped from across the pond a lot quicker, but he'd just tainted those words with his earlier promises.

"And now, I'd like to hand the microphone over to this young lady." Her heart stopped. She died right there on the stage. Or at least, that's what she wished had happened. If they survived this, she would nag him about this very moment for years afterward and would make sure he'd listen to every last word.

"Shirley Joseph Fenette. My Fiancee, and future empress of the Britannian Empire." There were a few claps. Most out of the sake of just being polite, while others were done with a new sense of hope. Maybe his young whorelet could talk some sense into this boy. The empire hadn't seen an actual empress since The Great War. With a deep breath, she stepped up. A slight stumble at first, but otherwise, she walked just fine.

The mic was positioned to meet her mouth, though the angle could've been better. She pulled it down, ever-so-slightly, and the entire garden was filled with a loud hum for but a couple of seconds until she nudged it back into place.

All of those with an already sour look on their face seemed just about ready to leave, dig rotten produce from the nearest dumpster and pelt her on the stage. "H-Hello. As you know, my name is Shirley J. Fenette. I'm sure by now many of you are concerned by the rapid changes that we are implementing into our empire."

_Hoo boy _were they_._

"Emperor Lelouch and I are doing this to bring a better, more caring world to you all. For years, we have been fighting other nations. Nations that have never had a reason to fight us in the first place." There were some nods here and there. Charles's hunt for the gates leading to C's World across the earth had left behind a trail of controversial statements as to why Knightmares were being deployed in the Middle East and Europe.

"For the last few years, Charles has poisoned the reputation of our great people, and it's up to us now to fix it. If we act like we're above everyone else then who will help us when a crisis comes? When a natural disaster strikes and we need aid?"

"Charles could've fought for us to get that aid!" Someone protested. It's as if she could hear the patience in the man's voice crumble as the sentence went along.

"Yeah, but..but.." That shout had been filled with so much malice, so much authority that she froze up in place. These people cared little for what was beyond their shores unless it was kissing their feet. Perhaps it was the will of God or the whims of fate. But as Shirley felt herself begin to crumble, a quick little flash could be seen between the heads and wild fashions of the capital.

A camera. Held by a blue-haired boy in a baseball cap. Rivalz Cardemonde himself, keeping the lenses focused on Shirley She would have to ask later, but her guess was that being a bartender no longer paid that well when your workplace was a patch of dirt.

Behind him, Milly Ashford stood, notepad at the ready and gazing at her. While the crowd watched, Milly tapped her cameraman on the shoulder. It took him a second to understand that Shirley had noticed them, but once the soundless words were spoken they both gave her a simultaneous thumbs-up.

There were friends amongst the commoners. It's where she had come from after all. She took a deep breath and retorted.

"And then what? Once the crisis is solved, another nation hates us for taking from them, and the cycle continues. Ever since he took the throne, we have never known peace! I promise you, with enough love and kindness, we won't have to live in fear of tomorrow."

For some, this sounded a lot better than the status quo. Others shook their heads and left the garden en masse after seeing that the Sutherlands were no longer aimed at them. "And what makes you believe that you, a lady that nobody out here has even heard of, will be able to carry this out for a nation of billions?"

She turned to Lelouch, her thoughts rolling around, for an answer. He gave her a hand signal in the form of a simple, triumphant fist. "Because..Because, I will be twice the Empress that Charles ever was!"

A few laughs, a couple of claps, and fewer bodies in the crowd. She continued for a little longer, reading out the plan that had been put in place after she took hours and hours of trying to understand it all. Lelouch then took the mic, finished his statements, and that was that. There was at least a small crowd standing and clapping for them as they departed. "Well...How do you think you did?"

"A-alright, I suppose..." He noticed the look on her face. Leaning towards the floor as they stepped past the garden.

"They're going to be upset for a while. But change doesn't happen without a little strain," Lelouch assured with a matter-of-fact sigh.

"I just don't know how they could be so self-serving..." A side of the nation she'd seen before was even more apparent amongst even the beautiful spires of Pendragon. "But we have to try. If nothing else, at least that." And as always, her optimism pulled through, naive as it was.

"Hey! Wait up!" A familiar voice cut through the air.

Jeremiah Gottwald turned, raising his hand as a stop sign. "I'm sorry, but there are to be no reporters in-"

Suzaku stepped in. "It's fine, Jeremiah. Friends of the family, you could say," he assured as the pair ran to their feet.

"Milly Ashford and Rivalz Cardemonde! Reporter and handy cameraman from Biglobe!" The cyborg raised a brow. His only one to be fair, but a brow indeed.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," He mumbled, shaking Milly's energetic hand while using his synthetic strength to keep balance.

"You killed it out there, Shi-...Your highness." The excitement on Rivalz's face was palpable, his grin stretching ear-to-ear.

"I'm glad to see you here. Both of you." Their smiles suddenly softened, and their gaze came to Lelouch. The cheerful tone of it all faded. In a brief couple of seconds, the silence tore into Lelouch like a drill bit.

"You're uh...You're royalty. Right?" Milly spoke with a certain caution, each word like a line of thieves sneaking out into the night one-by-one.

"Well...Yes.."Rivalz and Milly looked at one another, lacking any real meaning or hidden thoughts in their eyes;. At least from what Lelouch could tell. He braced himself.

The reporter turned her eyes at the ground, glancing to his every now and then. "We wouldn't have said anything you know...We're your friends Lelouch. If anything, we'd work harder to keep you hidden."

Rivalz piped up, a bit less cautious than his now-colleague. "I mean, I would have to ask what it was li-OW!"

Milly smacked him on the head before continuing. "Lelouch. We've been worried sick. I've been trying to keep up with all of this news going around left and right, and I don't even have a clear picture to base it off of. Please...If you're going to turn up again, be honest with us.."

The Emperor tried to string his words together. "I...I tried, Milly. But you see-"

She sighed and cut him off. "Shirley, we can keep in touch, can we?"

"S-sure!" They took a brief moment to exchange information, Milly ignoring Lelouch and Rivalz only taking brief glances at him. Once they both left, their walk back into the palace continued.

"So I take it you're friends with them, your majesty?"

The Emperor rubbed his head and they continued walking back to the palace. "It's complicated, Jeremiah. Remind me to tell you about it."

Lelouch nodded. "But of course." In his years of service to Brtiannia, there were many ties he wished that he could've kept. Being transformed into a cyborg did very little to help things. The rest of their day would be filled with the hassle that Shirley would never have dreamed of in her life. Should she make it through these times, she might be able to manage the nation with ease and be known in history as one of the world's finest and humble leaders. Until then, they would continue to rush to answer phone calls, arrange for the reformation of the empire, and do a double-check to make sure Britannia would be prepared for anyone...Unruly.

"Is there anything you need help with, your majesty?"

"Oh, nothing right now ro-ROLO!?" Shirley was taking a break in the royal chambers. A lavish, beautiful room with a massive velvet-covered bed, desks, chairs, mirrors, flowers and even a fountain bath. The last thing she expected was her former classmate. A boy who had nearly...

He held his gaze, unnaturally stoic. The eyes of someone all-too-efficient in his...Line of work. "R-rolo...I don't'.." He held up an I.D. An empty expression printed on plastic and a digital signature with Lelouch's handwriting.

"He's...Assigned me to be your bodyguard. He thinks it'll teach me a lesson in...discretion." A certain look of shame crossed his face as he spoke.

"Well, uh...It's nice to see a familiar face around here!" His look didn't change at all. The boy that she'd chatted and worked with at Ashford was all but gone, replaced by a hollow doll.

"You didn't answer my question. Is there any way I can be of service?" She looked out the window. A beautiful sunlit view of the city and its surrounding hills. The day was mostly going to be filled with scheduling and a few phone calls. Nothing out of her field in the student council, though the pressure was much heavier.

"I can't really think of anything, no. Just, um..Take it easy I guess?" The silence after she spoke was so thick it could've strangled her if someone didn't break it.

He nodded. "I'll be at my quarters. Press the red button on your bracelet or on the desk if something happens."

She lifted her wrist, taking note that the jewel inside of her bracelet did look very plastic. "Or if I need company!' He didn't even look back. The boy left the room as swiftly as he had come in. The golden doors slid open, and Jeremiah was waiting there. He locked eyes with Shirley, then nodded before walking abreast with Rolo back down the hall. There wasn't any noise and Rolo didn't even bother to greet her.

Shirley thought back to the Princess incident and the mall. She still couldn't understand why he would try such a thing. Just in case, she knew not to carry any weapons on her. Or should she carry them?

This was going to be stressful.


	9. Escalation

"And what if we're not interested in consorting with one of Charle's spoiled brats!?" The old man shouted, fists clenched over the table.

"The empire has fallen under new management, old man. I suggest you learn to adjust, or else fall behind." There was something to be pitied in the way this wrinkled man looked at Lelouch. So many were so hostile because they weren't quite used to their new situation. Outrage served as wind to fuel the fire, and everyone was nervous.

"Sir, if I may?" Shirley stood up, knowing her white garb would grab the attention of the council. The way it shined under the lights like morning snow projected the will of its wearer. "We will only step in should we be needed. Your emperor and I are here to help."

The man eased off a little. "And who might you be, young lady?"

Her fiance frowned. "She is Shirley J. Fenette. Your soon-to-be Empress an-"

"Lulu, please! I'm speaking." Her tone was not in anger, but a plea. Lelouch glanced at her, taking a couple of seconds and letting the silence settle.

"My apologies. Please continue." Some of the council members murmured amongst themselves, taking note of the name.

"A-as your emperor said, I'm Shirley. You can just call me that, okay?" She gave him a smile. The old man was aghast, as were his colleagues, and with a few simple words, they weren't quite sure how to go about this.

"W-well, Miss Shirley."

She shook her head. "Just Shirley. My mom might call me that if wants to yell at me." Here they were, sitting at a desk with a grandiose young man who was enforcing his will upon them...And he was being put at bay by the smile of his lover.

"Oh...Okay then. Well, Shirley, I was just going to remark that you remind me of the late Princess Euphemia. I can hope that you'll be just as approachable." His eyes went to Lelouch, then back at her.

"O-oh. Thank you very much, sir." All of a sudden these people we a little less hostile. Some of the older ones were smiling. Though her efficiency was yet to be decided, they would at least be privy to negotiating with a young lady who was no different from their nieces, daughters, and granddaughters.

"Very well. Shirley and I share similar interests in the future of our nation. If she is to act as our voice." He turned to her, a glint in his eye, and a trusting smile. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"Right!" The rest of the meeting was rather...Bizarre. They had managed to easily rebalance the plans and policies for the city. All-the-while, Shirley was regaling them with stories from her advanced economics and history classes, applying them to the future of Pendragon.

"You've got quite a head on your shoulders!"

"Well, I just study a lot with Lulu!" She hugged him, and the Emperor's face turned red. Right in front of everyone, he was being called a pet name and being reminded of his more embarrassing school days. But if it put a smile and even gained some laughs from the faces of the local government, so be it.

The word would spread, and perhaps there would be people a bit more open to accepting leaders who seemed like ordinary folks. Lelouch had seen such a strategy mentioned for nations who elected their leaders, and even if there wasn't a ballot, it could be a win-win.

They rested on the bed that night, a warm candle serving as the only illumination in the massive room. It bathed the floor tiles and fountain water in soft light as the city around them sparkled. Across from them, the fountain bubbled on.

"So...Same thing tomorrow?" Lelouch was snoring.

"Lulu...LULU!"

She nudged him, and his snore was cut off. "Huh, wuzzat?"

"You're awfully tuckered out, aren't you?"

He sighed. "It's not every day you run a country. Sorry if your highness took a little royal nap."

Shirley let a smile across her face. "It's okay. You look adorable when you're like that."

So adorable that she took a pinch of his cheeks. "AH! Come on now.."

"It's like a little boy tuckered out from playing!"

"This and that are vastly different..."

She flicked him on the nose. "Close enough." They gazed out of the window encircling their tower above the capital as a half-moon. Outside, Knightmare frames would float back and forth, patrols guarding the capital taking the watch, refueling, then turning over every five hours. They did so when Shirley had come in first to relax, finishing her duties as much as she could before turning in.

"Lulu?"

"Hmmm?" The Emperor mumbled, letting the toll of today nearly drift him to sleep.

"They'll understand eventually, won't they?"

"Understand what?" Earlier that day, Shirley had been making her rounds, walking through one of the main halls of Pendragon and dismissing every saluting guard when something caught her eye. Paintings. All of them of past Empresses. Tatiana, Kathleen, Lorriana, and so on. Tatiana herself was wearing robes that bore an odd resemblance to the ones on her shoulders, yet she seemed so proud and regal. The picture towered over her, and Shirley had to stop to think of the time, dedication, and work that would have to be put in to present her in such a jaw-dropping manner. How many hours did that artist lean over and make those perfect, careful marks? "That...I'm not the best at what I'm doing?"

Lelouch stared up at the ceiling with droopy eyes. "And what do you mean by that?"

"They will know that I'm doing my best right? If I mess up...Never mind." This wasn't like a summer job or managing a small school event. She couldn't mess up.

He was snoring again.

"LULU!"

His face was plowed by a pillow. Reality hadn't quite registered to him, and his hands outstretched before he realized what was going on. The pillow fell from his face, and she managed to sneak a glimpse of his eyes. Sheer, bed-wetting terror.

Her delicate finger pointed and laughed at him. "Please, Shirley. You're not going to keep embarrassing me this whole dynasty, are you?"

"Oh fine..I'll let you have some fun...For now.."

He chuckled. "Maybe they'll forget all the antics at Ashford then.." Or maybe some students would compile it all together and profit off of exclusive pictures of their ruler dressed as a cat. The girls sure liked those ones. Documentaries in the coming decades would always include a segment on this at some point in their runtime. See "My Classmate, Emperor Lelouch" (2028) and "The Black King: The Life and Deeds of a Mastermind Monarch"(2032).

"Get some rest, okay? You sure need it." His snores were already filling the chambers. They hadn't even stopped to wash yet, though she blushed at the notion of simply using the fountain pool across from their bed.

She blew out the candle, the smoke caressing her nose as she turned to lie next to him. Her head found a spot on his collarbone, while she took the time to bring up the sheet and wrap her arms around him. Soft and silky. Each of his breaths made her rise a little, his heartbeat behind a few short layers of robes and his chest.

Shirley looked up at him in the darkness and whispered, "I love you, Lulu," before giving him a kiss. She then fell asleep, having been fooled by him once again. Lelouch opened his eyes once he was sure she was out, then kissed her head. Soft orange hair that brushed against his lips and held a flowery sweetness in their strands.

"I love you too."

And together, they dreamed of a brighter world.

* * *

The doors slammed open.

"LELOUCH! WE NEED YOU DOWN IN THE COMMAND CENTER!" A neon-green haired witch darted inside, having been given access to the chambers like the other royal staff. The couple was sleeping like drunken wombats.

She picked up the nearest pillow and chucked it at both of their faces.

"AAAH!"

They both flailed like drunken wombats being woken up with fireworks. Once they recovered, the urgency in her eyes did little to slow their heartbeats. "Are you two busy making heirs!?"

Lelouch frowned. "What of it?"

"LULU!" A punch to the arm and a frown.

C. C. Shook her head. "Psh, young love. Get down there as fast as you can!"

"Right!" they both jumped up and made their way to the elevator. "It's probably the Black Knights. They probably want to talk a little sooner than expected."

"Let me try to de-escalate things."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "They don't even know you."

Shirley sighed. "They're about to." At their sides, Rolo, Suzaku, and Jeremiah emerged and joined them in their walk, along with multiple guards. Shouting and staff running to and fro grew as they reached the command center. What had been tranquil and peaceful just a night ago was now loud with guards and officials moving about at a brisk pace.

_"What's going on?" _Was the underlying thought that haunted Shirley the entire walk. They'd been at the throne for only a couple of weeks, and already a crisis could be on their hands.

They stepped inside, giving Shirley a first-time look at the command center. A long desk with chairs stood at the center of consoles, operators, and charts as a massive screen sat ready to be used depending on the situation. At the moment, a council of generals stood by while they prepared a recording of sorts. "ALL RISE!" Everyone in the room not walking with them stood at attention.

"Y-you're dismissed!" Shirley cried. Not the exact way to do it, but they all understood, and went right back to it.

C. C. Walked ahead to the screen's console, putting her hand on the pause/play button. "They arrived roughly an hour ago and just gave us the signal requesting a transmission the moment you arrived. The screen displayed a standby mode for live video transmission. Once C. C. made sure everyone that needed to watch was paying attention, she allowed them to come through. It was hard to make out at first, but the picture's resolution sharpened. A cloudy, mountainous landscape overlooked by a massive...Thing...

A stalk or a floating tower? Lelouch then gripped the edge of the table. Those very same mountains looked familiar. That thing in the video turning clearer and clearer with each second. "The..Damocles.."

At last, the face of the man who had acted faster than he would've hoped came into view. "My brother, dear Lelouch. I apologize for trying to contact you. I'm sure you're taking in your new throne and, well, consort, with much enjoyment." In a quick jump, the Damocles disappeared, replaced by the image of his brother, Schneizel.

"I fear that though I am happy you're still alive, you are not quite ready to take the throne. You act on impulse and deceit if you'll pardon my words. It would seem that your sudden usurpation of the throne has caused some disarray...Zero."

A bead of sweat rolled down Lelouch's face as he heard his alias spoken in a room of royal technicians.

Lelouch put more pressure on the desk as he ate his brother's words. So many times had he tried to beat him in chess as a child. Even in the Chinese Federation, he still had not reached his level, and now it would seem he had a far more effective rook under his thumb.

"There is one person, however, that I know would be a far more effective ruler and heir to the throne." They were expecting a politician or some half-brother or sister that none of them had ever even heard of. A child born from one of Charle's nights with one of his consorts. That last one wasn't..Too far from the truth.

Nunnally Vi Britannia. Wearing a pink and white dress as regal as her bloodline, and sitting in a wheelchair that Lelouch would've only dreamed she could use. "N-Nunnally!?'

Her face turned into a frown, eyes still shut as always. "Lelouch. Suzaku. Though it pains my heart to say so...You've deceived the entire empire. I now declare you..As my enemies. Schneizel has told me everything. About your powers, and what you've done.."

Words that punctured through Lelouch, nearly causing him to collapse on the table. Everything he'd done had been for her. It wasn't supposed to end like this! The tears were held back by the choking in his throat. Shirley stood by him, holding him up as the recording continued.

"However, I am confident that you will see to reason." She nodded in Schneizel's direction.

"As of now, the Damocles is floating at around 5,000 feet above the imperial capital. Should you fail to comply, I shall take the action I feel is necessary. We are currently armed with all available FLEIJA warheads. Please speak in a timely manner. I do not have all day." When the prince looked over the room, he took note of the soon-to-be Empress, dressed in her white robes and a painfully pretty look of shock.

"Schneizel.." Lelouch had only been a half-second quick enough to keep himself from shouting that name.

"Ah, Lelouch! You're awake at last. Are you enjoying the time you have with your newfound lover?"

His words stung, and the incentive to defend Shirley tugged at him. "Are you willing to make a reasonable offer, brother?"

He inspected his younger brother, peering into the image transmitted of Lelouch's now not-so-smug face. He took in every pixelated pore with a certain fascination and dare the emperor to say pleasure. "I believe the time for that has passed, my dear brother. You've taken the life of our father, and the nation is less-than-satisfied about the conditions of your rule."

Frustration barked at him, roaring to be set free and let loose upon this man. "You dangle Nunnally in front of me like a prize, then pull her away!?"

His brother scoffed. "A prize? Lelouch, if that's all you see in your own blood, I'd hate to imagine the place that lovely lady you have there is in."

"Don't talk about her like that. Ever."

The prince cleared his throat, "Regardless, I'm not going to stand by and let Britannia be ruled by a man who would so easily throw away the lives of others. We lived like that long enough under our father's foolishness."

"And what of the Knightmare pilots surrounding the Damocles while you sit there?"

"They're fighting for what's right. Who would I be to deny them that?" Schneizel spoke in full confidence.

Lelouch's mind was racing for a solution. It was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn't going to let him have an inch. The best they could possibly do is find one of the escape tunnels leading out of the city and try to escape. That is if he didn't decide to just go ahead and launch the FLEIJAs, to begin with. He was just putting on a front at the moment, and the darting eyes of the command center's staff weren't challenging that thought.

Silence filled the room, with only the chatter of those around him to fill the void in his mind. Tense, panicked. They conveyed a certain calm but did little to hide the tremble in every utterance. "L-lulu?..." She gave him a touch on the shoulder, healing some small part of him. Though I'm not willing to say much, I'm sure our sister will be a bit more open." The camera shifted for a moment. "We'll be returning in a moment. Stay vigilant, will you?"

With another clash, the screen went blank. Lelouch gripped Shirley's hand beneath the table at this moment. "How fast can our forces reach him?"

C. C. Shook her head. "Not fast enough to go unnoticed. Even the Lancelot could be picked up by someone's systems with so much open space." She was right. The map was showing the Damocles to be in the hills and fields south of the capitol. Though there were a few hills and mountains around Pendragon, the moment they crossed the ridge to the south, it was open space.

"I can send a squadron and we can distract them for a little while. If that's the best we can really do." Suzaku's offer came in a lower tone, his eyes glazing over the map.

"We'll wait on Nunnally. She won't answer to this madness...I know she won't." They gripped their hands tight, hoping against hope that she'd been given a script or held at gunpoint. What a lousy time this was, for him to be hoping for something like that on his crippled sister. Another few minutes gone by of analyzing a possible way to counter the weapon when the display system came back on once again.

Nunnally, outfitted in the same lovely pink dress and bow fit for the royal bloodline she was so ingrained into. She sat in a large garden, butterflies zipping about as they had at Ares Villa. "Lelouch...I wish we could've seen each other again under much better circumstances."

"Nunnally, listen. Call it a hunch, but I don't think he's telling you the whole truth. What has he said so far?"

She shook her head. "That you've manipulated Kallen...The Black Knights...Everyone around us with that Geass power. That for months, you would slip away into the night without us knowing and kill for your so-called justice." Hearing his sister talk like this was almost dreamlike. Like a vision of seeing someone you know acting and talking in a way that is unfitting to them. "Even now, you're on the throne of our father. You took the chance you had at taking his place and you did it."

Lelouch gripped the side of the console, finding a physical outlet to grasp his calm state and keep it there for as long as possible. "We're trying to build a better world. For us...For you. I didn't want us to live in the kind of empire our father had created. He gave you and I up, not even caring about what happened to us!"

"Do you think it's much better to go into battle without at least saying something to your sister? It's been hard on me too."

"He's right, Nunna!" Shirley's voice pierced the ice between the siblings. All at once, Nunnally's face contorted into surprise, and her lips sputtered for a moment.

"S-Shirley? What are you-" she was cut off, her question left unanswered.

"Lulu and I are changing things right now. Sure, we're not nearly as knowledgeable as the emperors of the past, but we wouldn't just take it all for ourselves!"

At this moment, Nunnally frowned, turning to her right. "Brother Schneizel...What's the meaning of all thi-"

The camera whipped back to the other prince, seemingly by his own hand. "Lelouch. I believe you understand the situation you're in, yes?"

Lelouch let out the anger that'd been swelling with a single demand. "Let me talk to Nunnally!"

"You have until noon. If I don't receive a word of compliance, then you can guess what'll happen then..." Schneizel then lifted up a wand-like, decorated device. It didn't take a genius to guess it's function, with a button on the tip end of it shining in the growing daylight from the windows above.

"LET ME SPEAK TO HER!" Lelouch shouted in defiance.

"I will do what I must for the betterment of my empire. Make no mistake. Brother." The screen went to static.

"DAMMIT!" His fist planted itself into the console, making him clench his teeth in pain.

Shirley darted towards him and lifted his hand. "Oh my god! Let me see.." There were bruises on his knuckles, and dents inside the metal. "Call for a nurse! Quick!"

"It's fine.."

She whipped back to him "No it's not! We don't need you to injure yourself right now, Lulu! We have to think of something...Anything!" His eyes remained hollow though. Despite his bruised hand, he sat down, crossing his fingers in the same way he did back at Ashford. When he would sit down and go over the ideas and subjects presented on the board. This time, however, there was no energy or ambition.

Right now, he was still in shock that Nunnally was still alive, and now in custody of Schneizel to boot. Schneizel had always seemed like such a polite and kind man on the news and television. Suzaku tapped her on the back. "He's fine...He just needs a few minutes to think this through..We'll break and come back in about five minutes."

"Right...Right.." A break for five minutes sounded insane. The last thing she wanted to do was break for five minutes while a weapon like the FLEIJA was ready to blast them from a long-range at a moment's notice. But her nerves and mind were both still rattled, and she needed time to think. "Alright...Five minutes. Got it." She pulled out her pink cellphone. A relic of the old life, with all of her old contacts still available at the push of a button. 7:06. Best be back inside at 7:11.

The phone was slipped back into her pocket, while two guards stood by behind her. At least she had personal security, as good as that would do right now. A third pair of feet, however, began walking out from their ranks. "Fenette." C. C., dressed in royal pilot gear, looking sexy and regal enough to stir some envy in her. "Ladies room. Now."

It hadn't been the first time she'd been pulled aside for girl-talk. The first time Milly caught her gazing at Lelouch, or some rumor going around the school about Stacy or Jenna. The last thing she'd expected was to have it with C. C. During a crisis. "Wh-"

"I'll explain in a minute. Get in." C. C. Turned to the guards. "I'm the Emperor's advisor! We're discussing the current situation!"

The senior guard turned to the other and shrugged. "Well um..We'll watch the door, I guess." They slipped inside while the two began to make their way over. Once C. C. Made sure the door had been shut, her voice slipped to a hushed whisper.

"It would seem your beloved has gone in over his head."

"You could say that again.."

"It would seem your beloved has gone in over his head."

"..."

The witch sighed. "It's humor, your majesty. After a few centuries of this, you learn to laugh these situations off sometimes."

"Maybe when it's behind us.."

Her advisor cleared her throat, looking at the wall in the direction of the command center. "It's amazing really. To think about how much the world has changed in just over the last year...And strangely, if I had to do it over again, I would." Her gaze went to the mirror, her reflection staring back, but the real C. C. Looking beyond it. "It's been over five hundred years I've been on this earth, you know? I've met so many people, seen so many live and die...Loved many at that time. I've made mistakes that I would take back in a heartbeat. She kept her eyes averted from Shirley's for that last one. But time isn't as malleable as the hearts of men, is it?"

Shirley swallowed, imagining the weight of this last year hundreds of times over. "No..No it's not."

"Which is why we have to change what we can while we still can. So, will you help me change this fate?" The noise that followed next almost sounded like the Empress was talking with the advisor, and was then assaulted. Yet, the two emerged from the bathroom perfectly fine. No questions were raised and the two guards went back to their normal posts in the command center once it was over.

These two, though they knew it somewhat, didn't realize what they had heard or witnessed until years gone by.


	10. Reunion

"We've discussed the matter...And we believe that we should send a party of diplomats consisting of Lelouch, C. C., myself, Jeremiah, and you if you'd like to. She rubbed her head, having to have Suzaku repeat the sentence again. "We're...Going to talk with Prince Schneizel?"

"It's the only way we can guarantee he won't obliterate the people of Pendragon along with us. It's the only thing we can do for them.."

A glare of disgust remained on Lelouch's face as he gazed up at the screen. The Damocles was still there, floating above the countryside as the small bodies of locals could be seen gazing up from the hills if one looked hard enough. They too likely had no idea what they were witnessing. "I should've guessed this was coming...I had figured he would attack a lot later and would've had this take place at Area 11. We could've used a few specific locations to our advantage but now.."

He was gnawing at the button end of his pen. "Now we have no other choice but careful diplomacy.."

C. C. Looked down at the map. "And what if it fails?"

"Then we're taken prisoner and the empire is held, hostage." At this moment, they were between a rock and a hard place. Should they surrender, then they'd become pawns for Schneizel, and if they were to somehow make it out, the empire would gladly turn over leadership to someone else.

All of a sudden, one of the operators at the consoles piped up."Your majesty! There are readings beneath the palace storage facilities!"

"An earthquake!?"

"Negative! There are readings of Knightmare units just beyond the dirt!" Lelouch jumped to his feet. "Prepare our defenses! Round up all the Knightmare pilots and have them at the ready!"

Suzaku stepped forward. "Lelouch, I wanted you to know that two of the knights of the round have defected to Schneizel's side. They are not going to go down easily."

Lelouch snarled, feeling the salt in the wound as he knew his brother had once again beat him to the punch. "How many remain with us?"

"I was able to convince Anya Alstriem, Gino Weinberg, Dorothea Ernst, and Monica Kruszchesky." Then Bismark and Nonette were the two remaining. A pair of the best pilots of the bunch.

"Right then...Are you sure you can handle Bismark?"

Suzaku nodded. "I will do my very best." An answer not in absolution. There was an ambiguity to it all that Lelouch abhorred.

Yet, it was like the very nature of life itself to be uncertain. "Very well. Shirley, with me," He declared as they stood close.

"Right." The alarms across the city were sounding. People were hiding in their shelters or evacuating en masse. Forces above in the Damocles worried little, as the palace was the main target of their monitoring. Should the royal family try anything, it would end in a bright pink flash. Centuries of this monument's glory reduced to a dirty crater.

"Should we start firing now, Lord Schneizel?" Kanon inquired, guessing this would be the start of an hours-long, world-changing skirmish.

"And why would we do that? Let's see what the mystery is behind all of this, shall we?" With that, the Prince kicked back and watched the screens as it all unfolded.

* * *

"Alright, you know what to do, correct?"

The Empress cleared her throat then repeated the instructions. "Stay at the rear and provide shielding when needed?"

Suzaku chuckled over the speaker. "You're picking up on this quickly! Protect us and we'll protect you, got it?"

"Got it." Shirley squeezed the side grips. This was no time to be sheepish. It was her turn to establish herself as a proper Empress. Her Knightmare frame was similar to the Lancelot, although the coloration was more so orange and dark grey in parts than golden and teal. Instead of carrying conventional arms, it carried a knife and a shield emitter from the palm that glowed like a flame.

"It's cool how good the royal family is at piloting. Even Euphy was able to..." He stopped right there. Cleared his throat. Took a breath. "A-anyway.."

"Suzaku...Name anything in the world, and we'll give it to you...It's the least you deserve, really."

Suzaku sighed. "Thanks...Although, I'd like my first wish to be getting out of here alive if you catch my drift."

"You know it wasn't his fault...He just-"

"I know. Lelouch told me the whole thing. All I have to do is trust him. It's just going to take a little time. That's all." It was odd, how much the hard outer shell of the Lancelot could illustrate Suzaku so well.

"Okay...Just tell us if you need anything. Alright?"

"...Thanks."

The squadron had surrounded the perceived point of impact. Lelouch's voice blasted from the Shinkiro in front of her. "They aim to attack from below! All forces, to me!"

"YES! YOUR MAJESTY!" He spoke for himself, but they all knew well to form a circle around them both. C. C. Was piloting a Lancelot of her own, and Jeremiah was patrolling these lower levels in his Sieg Sutherland.

Rumbling came. At first, a tremor, then in seconds, the entire storage facility was amok with tumbling boxes, crates, and Knightmares trying to keep balance. "Brace yourselves! They will not take the palace tonight!" At last, the floor and wall they were facing began to cave in on itself, chunks crumbling into an abyss where Knightmare frames outfitted with drill-bit arms awaited.

They jumped out one by one, with none of them moving with any sort of aggression. They immediately hid behind craters and did not return fire when the room filled with eye-stinging smoke and gunpowder. "Hold your fire!"

They did, and what had emerged came as quite the surprise. Zangetsus. Burais. And the Guren SEITEN itself. One of the black knights decided to be snide. "Look what we have here. The Emperor trapped in his own castle."

A voice from behind the Burai rolled into the room. "That's enough!... Let me handle it. Please, your highness. We're not here to fight."

Lelouch paused, just long enough to evaluate a reason to. None existed, and he complied. "Stand down."

Shirley felt a breath of relief, her first battle was delayed for the moment. "Wait, that's-" The young woman emerged from the Knightmare. A lady from the body of a red monster. "Kallen!" Nostalgia from the previous year flooded Shirley. She emerged from her own Knightmare, and the rest of the squadron watched her as she darted across the storage area.

Upon seeing her friend in royal robes in person, Kallen stopped to speak and never got to finish her first sentence. "YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" The pilot was immediately crushed between Shirley's arms.

"GAH!...It's...Nice to see you too." She managed to squeeze out a smile, returning the hug enough until her limbs were released.

Shirley looked her over and raised a brow. "Gee, that's an...Interesting outfit you've got there."

"Ugh, don't remind me. But you...You've sure managed since I last saw you." There was a slight twitch in her eye from seeing the robes in person. They were beautiful and carefully constructed by whatever seamstress had touched the cloth.

"Well, well, Ms. Kozuki. I would've expected your return to be a bit more formal. Until this morning's events, that is." He was welcomed with a hard slap.

"Kallen!" Her former classmate stood between her and the man who probably deserved it.

She sighed. "Forgive me, Shirley...I just don't like finding out little details like how he's a GODDAMN PRINCE! You didn't even wait for me to leave the cockpit."

"Why were stuck in-"

"It's a long story," Kallen flushed and kept the flow of the conversation going.

A chuckle emerged from Lelouch's bloody lip. "Ah...Still prideful of your skill as ever," Lelouch smiled as he clutched his cheek. "That's why you've always been my best pilot."

"I don't know about that. You've found some replacements, I see."

He turned to the Lancelot and his fiancee. "You know you're not that replaceable, right?"

Kallen took a breath and laid it all down. "We've only come here because Ohgi and the House of Kyoto wanted to offer you something. We will provide you a garrison here...If you free Japan."

"We'll do it." Shirley managed to speak up before Lelouch, causing him to stammer his words for a second, but allow her to finish. "Under our rule, the people of Japan are going to be free. It's just...We need a little leverage right now."

"Shirley...You'd really do that?" She nodded. "Well, not while we're hostages in our own home, that is." There was an odd feeling of calling the palace her home. Some mystical from afar being where she now rested her head.

"It's not going to be an easy process, I'm sure you know."

There was a twinge in her eyes. "Shirley..I'm surprised that you'd...After that night, and what happened.." She could still see the faces of the student council after removing her visor.

Shirley put a hand on her shoulder. "That was then, this is now. Don't worry so much about it. Also, maybe this is just me, but you don't look as good in black."

They both giggled. "..It's just like back at Ashford.."

"It doesn't have to stay in the past you know." They stood, Kallen's eyes seeming to avoid Shirley's. It was another second before she realized she was avoiding Lelouch.

"We're eternally grateful. We would've been outnumbered had you not come."

"Save the thanks for later...We need to come up with a strategy and fast. What are your numbers?" None one amongst the royal party wanted to say it out loud. Their eyes darted to one another, but no one dare speak.

"It's as bad as I thought, isn't it?"

* * *

They had all come together on an agreement. Nobody would bring any sort of firearms or weapons, and the Knightmares would remain docked. This was to be a civil negotiation. "Is that everyone? This meeting could decide the fate of the empire..."

Everyone was mustered out in the docking bays, the staff preparing their shuttle to take them to the Damocles. Any other moves were out of the question since they had already sent the message of negotiation to the floating battle station.

"...Where's Rolo?" A question that struck Suzaku, C. C., and Lelouch like a brick, just after they had all begun to think of where he could actually be for a microsecond.

The emperor cleared his throat. "Why?"

"Well, he's my royal bodyguard, isn't he?" Shirley might as well have been growing human-faced tomatoes out of her eye sockets, the way she was being looked at.

"That is true. But, aren't...Wouldn't he.." Lelouch stared back into her eyes, a sharing of thoughts through the reflection of irises. "I see...Call for Rolo Lamperouge! Bring him to the hangar immediately!" The staff did just that, and in a few minutes, Rolo would be on his way.

He must have already figured out what they needed him for. He had changed into a regal white and golden coat and grey undershirt. Not unlike a royal knight's uniform. "We're going to see Prince Schneizel and I don't really know what's going to happen."

He stared at the ground, knowing that all eyes were on him, as well as fingers ready to unholster. "Wouldn't it be more fitting for Kururugi to protect you/?"

"Mr. Lamperouge. You're not suggesting I don't use my personal guard, do you?"

"W-well no it's just.." He could tell Lelouch was watching him with dagger eyes. That brother that he failed. That violet gaze that used to excite him so much now hung like a cloud over him. A hand touched his shoulder, Shirley standing there with a serious look.

"You are the empress's personal guard. You will serve your duty, understand?" He nodded sheepishly. "And relax. It's all going to be okay." She winked at him. Winked at him. Rolo was new to common socialization, but in the time that he'd been learning all about it, he knew there were several ways to interpret that. A few he doubted, one he feared was true, and another...That seemed kind of out-there. Out there or not, they were boarding.


	11. Action

A single transport emerged from the docking bays of the Imperial Palace. "Will we be mounting the turrets, my lord?"

"Not at all. It looks like things will be running rather smoothly. Let's go to meet our guests, shall we?" The Prince, Kanon and several guards stood by, walking abreast down the passageways. The meeting was to be held in the garden, where Princess Nunnally would likely be waiting.

"If she's really been duped like you think she is, then Nunnally has probably been moved to some other part of the Damocles."

"I've already put that into motion. Don't worry." As usual, they figured this was just another show of strength for the emperor in the face of stress. It was another couple minutes of walking before they noticed a little something. They got it out of their heads as quickly as it was introduced. They had a job to do.

At last, they walked into the garden, encircled by beautiful hedges, fountains, and a windowed roof above them, displaying the glorious morning light to them all. Golden-arched frames and two white pillars at the centerShirley's heartbeat quickened as she tried to catch her breath. That same "whisked-away-to-a-storybook" feeling took hold of her and would've carried her away if not for the smug blond man waiting for them at the center. His assistant, Kanon, stood waiting ever-so-diligently.

A few more minutes, and the two parties from the royal palace and that of Schneizel's met face-to-face. "At last, it's been so long Lelouch. Or would you prefer the name Zero?"

Whatever name he preferred, the raven-haired man was not having it. "Enough of your chiding, brother. State your demands, and we'll see if we're willing to cooperate."

He turned to Shirley, a friendly smile given as if he were completely ignoring the situation. "And you're not going to introduce me to this flower of yours?"

"No. You will know her soon enough."

He nodded. "You seem upset, Lelouch. Aren't you happy to know that Nunnally's safe? Either way, I suppose I shall make this clear. Give up the throne, hand it over to her, and I ensure you the future of Britannia will be brighter than you could possibly hope to achieve. She has spent her time learning the ways around the throne rather than sneaking out in the night."

An annoyed frown from Lelouch. "You want Nunnnally to take the throne at a time like this?"

"I'm not a fool, Lelouch. I'm aware that these times are...Less than Ideal. But easy times make easy leaders, and Britannia doesn't need that."

"And who says we're easy leaders?"

"Half of Britannia. Even now, there are petitions and talks of trying to remove you from the throne. Though they might lack the power, the sentiment is there."

A lady with a cart rolled up between them. "Care for some tea?" There was a long silence, the cart lady shuffling in her maid outfit as she acted as the sole barrier between them.

"I think I will have some, ma'am." He shot her a pleasant smile. Just another young man you might see in the high schools or next door looking to share a drink.

She smiled, and poured him a small glass, then left as the exchange continued, the cart left between them. "I'm not willing to sit around here all day and argue on your position. The facts are there, and we all know how this usually ends."

His cool attitude and cheerful smile throughout this exchange irked him. Even the tea lady coming in. Lelouch took a breath and a smirk crossed his face. This was all to irritate him and put him out of focus. "I would really like to know the names of these people, my brother. You wouldn't happen to know them, would you?"

"Of whom?" Lelouch crossed his arms and decided to get a little more comfortable. Had the tea lady come in earlier, he would gladly take it now.

"Please, Schneizel. Someone who would work this hard to oppose me would have to have a few contacts within my empire. You knew the perfect time to strike and even brought a fighting force with you to clear out any aerial defenses long before we could detect you. A single man can't deduce these things on his own."

Shirley stood behind C. C., letting them be pulled further and further into their conversation. As the two went back and forth, She lifted her hand to her ear, staying unnoticed. "Suzaku. Have you found anyone?"

A huff, then a breath. "No. Not yet. All of the charges are set though. How are things on your end?"

"It's like a chess game of politics out here..." She sighed, feeling as though her future was being laid out before her in this exchange between the two most potentially powerful men in the world.

"I'm going to keep looking. Get involved if you have to, but just keep him talking!"

Shirley glanced back at the conversation, trying to listen to for some kind of opening to break in. "Just be quick!"

* * *

"Be quick." He was _trying. _But tactical espionage on a floating battle station wasn't exactly his forte. The battle station held a lot of ammunition containers for the Knightmare frames, many of them likely empty

while they were preparing for launch. "Security is minimal.." He thanked God or whoever was looking out for him for that. Only once in a while would he run into an actual person. Most of the Damocles was in the sky around them, protecting the actual structure of the station or at the command center.

He was now running along an encircling walkway around the body of the station. They'd only been able to hastily dig up some schematics of the battle station for a few minutes before they left, but if he was making the right guess...

"Riiight...HERE!" He opened the door and was greeted by a man in a white mask. A red sigil marking his face. Suzaku was quick, dodging the spray of gunfire and swept the man's ankles. A crash, and then an elbow to the face from overhead. At this moment, Suzaku took notice of the T-shape this prison block had. Only room for six large cells. The first four where to his right and left which meant...

Two more men came rushing in in a similar uniform, lifting their SMGs as they caught sight of him. "Z-ZERO!" Thankfully, both were close enough for Suzaku to duck under their bullets and slide to the position behind them. He would've been easily seen if he hadn't tossed his cape over them like a drape. Before they could finish pushing it off, he grabbed the back of their heads and slammed them into each other.

As they collapsed into the ground, he kicked away their weapons and went to the other two blocks. The men were groaning, and it'd be a matter of time before they could stand up and continue the fight. Taking one of their key cards, he opened the cell where a girl in a wheelchair was being held. "Nunnally!"

"Suzaku!" She lifted her arms, but this was no longer the beautiful, adorned seat he'd seen in the transmission. Instead, this was a cold, cheap metal chair designed to hold her wrists down. He was cursing Schneizel under his breath as he found the slide to free her.

They hugged, Nunnally's breath shaking. "We have to hurry...I think Schneizel is up to something.."

"We're thinking the same thing. But let's get to that once we leave.." He took her chair by the handles and had begun to attempt to switch his clothes with the guard when he heard a cough.

"N..N-nunnally.." The young princess's head turned to the voice. "Wait...Wait check on that person!" Suzaku obliged, and slipped his card. The bars lifted, and in the corner was...Princess Cornelia.

A bandage had been (half-heartedly) wrapped around her side, and a pool of blood coagulating next to her. "Kuru..rug..i?.."

"Don't talk! Hold on!" He was able to tear a piece from his own uniform and managed to press it onto her wound. She winced, and the stink of copper filled the prison cell. A layer of moisture and old stains told him that she was lucky to make it this far without catching an infection. It was probably a bad idea to even think about moving her, but the Knight of Zero couldn't think of another option. Leave her to die and lose another Li Britannia, or risk her passing while he took her with. "Can you move?"

"I-I can...Just keep the pressure and walk with me.." Suzaku gave another good hit to the guards, taking them out for a bit longer.

He took the top from one of them and used it to cover and bandage the princess. "Nunnally, I'd hate to ask this, but you can wheel yourself, right?"

"It's fine Suzaku! Hurry!" The three made their way back out into the passageway, Cornelia spatting and coughing the whole way. He was able to keep a good amount of pressure, but inevitably, a blood droplet would find itself on the ground here and there. "Suzaku...He's...He's not what he seems.."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

"Tell me, girl. What has my brother promised you?"

"H-huh?" Her thoughts on the Knight of Zero's progress had caused this question to stun her. She nearly had to ask it again before her synapses connected the dots.

"Promised me? Well...That we're going to change the world. Make it better one piece at a time, and live a better life than before."

The Prince nodded. "Very well. And tell me, how much have you suffered to get here?"

Shirley cleared her throat. Unlike Lelouch, she was far less experienced in wearing a poker-face. She'd been an honest girl as a civilian and never had a reason to wear one. "...Your grace, with all due respect, I'm not sure how relevant that is.."

He took another sip of tea. "Actually, I think it's very relevant. Let's see what we have here." Schniezel then reached into the tea cart, beneath the drape, on one of the shelves.

"Alright. Let's see here. Joseph R. Fenette. Geologist and former employee of the Philadelphia Institute of Geothermal research and the Institute for Seismic Study and Graphing in Portage, Wisconsin. Ironic, isn't it?"

Her chest was pierced by that needle of a question. Without another breath, he continued. "Photos of an unknown individual seen around the Narita area during April of last year, not long after the Battle involving my sister and some...Unfortunate losses.

He was combining that needle with the image of a white-haired man walking in a crowd. Young, a violet visor, ears protected by purple headphones. And a cocky smile as he made his way through the crowd, to the train station ahead of him, and down to Narita...Where the sunlight in the photo was the same as that day she saw this man for the first time. "Him..."

"Indeed. He was brought in on a felony a few years back. We dug it up, but it's mostly the ramblings of a madman. Most unfortunate, that he was left in such a condition in this cruel world..."

C. C. clenched her teeth. Lelouch put a hand to her arm in a not-so-covert attempt to calm her down. She did. On the outside. "I just find it interesting...That the future of this empire is hindering on a man who can't even protect the ones he loves...And a naive girl who believes in that man even after he let that happen to her." Schneizel crossed his legs. "How much does she know about trade negotiation? About spending hours on end dealing with other world leaders about the future of a nation and millions of lives? Is she even competent enough to face that after such an experience? Brother...You've been out of the royal palace for several years, and you take a commoner and make her an empress? How do you expect me to call you responsible leaders? I'm very curious."

Shirley closed her eyes. A deep breath lifted and fell from her chest as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Just stop.."

"Hmmm?" The Prince seemed hardly deterred. His eyebrows were just a little raised.

"Stop it. I might be a commoner, but I'm not stupid... You're trying to make us feel bad for past mistakes."

"Darling, forgive me, but those 'mistakes' costs-"

"Lives?" She was glaring at him now. A building rage broiling since that white-haired monster was shown to her again, and in such a beautiful setting they were surrounded by. A devil staining Eden. "You say that...And you're ready to vaporize the capital with everyone still inside! And as if we didn't know already...Yet, we're doing more than you've ever done to fix the empire. All the time, mom used to tell me how the royal family would change the laws and policies to make things better for everybody...Yet nobody stood up to Charles." Her fists curled up, shaking at what might've happened to the world, perhaps even the universe had they not intervened.

"You waited all this time for someone like Lulu or the girl that made those bombs to come along. Then, when the moment was right, you betrayed them. Lulu and I have been working for this. Feeling the weight of the lives at stake the entire time, and here you are, swiping it all out from under us."

"The people cannot live on their own, your majesty. That's why we have people in power, and it's the responsibility of those in power to control their people."

She was glaring at the prince. "They can take care of themselves!"

"No, they cannot. It is human nature to give into one's desires, and that's why Britannia is the way it is. Ridden with greed, corruption, and ignorance. It takes a bizarre mindset to think that's not the fault of the people."

"That's not what the people I know are like. A few bad eggs don't always spoil the bunch. Even if you think that that doesn't just make it a reality."

He shook his head once again. "You only have a small scope of the empire child. Tell me, is this the sort of life you father would have for you? After all that's happened over the past year?"

"He took risks, Mr. Schneizel," A few tears started to pool at the bottom of her eyelids as she did her best to hide it. "He was always telling me, 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'."

Schneizel took another sip of his tea. "And look at where that took him."

She put her hand on Lelouch as quickly as it took for his entire palm to plant itself. "Lulu. I'm not done yet." He lifted his hand, and let her continue.

"And now, here we are. You're standing here, trying to hide behind our own failures after you let everyone do your work for you. Using my past, using my _father..._It sickens me that you even said his _name_.."

Lelouch felt his palms go sweaty. He was keeping pace with the conversation, and at the rate it was going, he knew there wasn't going to be any negotiations. Already the chances were small, and now nonexistent.

She was shaking. The tears were gently rolling down her face, and it would surprise no one if Schneizel was to receive four knuckles beneath his jaw. "My apologies...Perhaps I was a bit too brash with my reasoning. Need I remind you, the fate of an empire is nothing to 'venture.' But the fact remains that the Damocles has the entire city of Pendragon as hostage. If you have something to offer, do it. If not, then we will be taking you into custody, and the proper authority will decide Pendragon's fate."

The truth was, Suzaku had just spoken the entire truth to her, thanks to the testament of Princess Cornelia. The three of them were making their way to the shuttle so Suzaku could send them to the palace before the skies lit up.

Shirley wiped her face with her robes. There would be no reasoning with him. He was too well-hidden behind his curtain to shield him from his own ego. "I-I'm sorry. Forgive me, your grace." She then put on the sweetest smile she could for the Prince, enough to make him blush a little. "It's just...Your mouth is like a horse's ass. Nothing good comes out of it."

Silenced, the Prince watched as she started to turn to the group and rejoin them...Then paused. "One more thing. I believe we both have something to say."

Her hand gave the "Ok" sign. Lelouch grinned. The time had come. After such an outburst, Schneizel would be quite unfocused.

A red sigil appeared in their eyes as they faced the Prince and his assistant. "Prince Schneizel El Britannia..."

"Kanon Maldini.."

"...I command you to surrender your forces!"

"...Order the deactivation of the FLEIJAs!"

Their eyes widened. "I-N-no!" At that moment, the commands reached them both. The two men stood still, their minds likely still processing the reconfiguration of their wills.

Schneizel chuckled. "Lelouch. You really think that I'd come so unprepared?"

The would-be emperor's eyes widened in complete bafflement. "W-What!? It didn't-"

Armed men in Britannian uniforms and strange white masks with the Geass sigil emerged from the bushes. "Looks like they really tried it after all. I'm afraid you owe me some coin, my dear Kanon."

"I guess the odds were against me after all," Schneizel's aid grinned.

Lelouch's pulse quickened. "JEREMIAH!"

"Yes, my lord!" The cyborg leaped forward, unsheathing his wrist blade and right into the path of the pistol Schneizel whipped out. A precise shot, or a stroke of bad luck, and the blade was shattered. The brief assessing pause following gave the Prince another shot at Jeremiah's chest. The plating saved him, but the stagger sent him into the arms of a soldier, and he was swiftly cuffed before he could do anything.

Soon, the others followed, and they were put into the prone position before him. Rolo tried to use his own geass, but felt someone come from behind and pull a blindfold over him. When the geass should've come out, a blue sigil burst out from the other end of the fold. Shirley and Lelouch were both given the same treatment, as the world became a black net of wired mesh. Rolo gritted his teeth as he was pulled to the ground.

"Contact lenses. Such a simple invention can make all the difference, I suppose. The Geass order gave me an offer I nearly turned down, you know. Surrender the life of my brother and his geass-imbued comrades in exchange for a garrison of their order's soldiers for the next two hundred years."

"Doesn't that seem like a bit much?" C. C. spat.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say so. Three users, one holder, and an old friend of theirs I'm sure they'll be happy to see."

Jeremiah snarled at the men around him. He tried to unsheath his blade a little further, but a soldier shot it into pieces once it emerged, leaving shards on the cobblestone floor. "I fear that you're making a fatal error, Prince Schneizel."

Schneizel smiled, bright and pleasant as ever. "That would be your emperor, Mr. Gottwald. He hasn't changed since we were children. I would advise you to reconsider your allegiances in the next...Hour or so."

An hour would only take them to 11:06. They wouldn't have time to warn their staff or any of the royalty in the palace, and not everyone in Pendragon could possibly be evacuated by then. "I hope you can think of something in that time. You do a lot better for yourself with a little pressure.."

Lelouch didn't say a word. The time for talking was done. They had just wasted an hour of "negotiation" and it had not led anywhere. He turned to Shirley, nodded and mouthed two words to him as they were pulled out of the garden and into the battle station's cold halls.

They were being dragged to the prison cell. The same one that Suzaku had just left, and there, they would find the unconscious or dead guards and one less prisoner. Damocles would go on high alert, and then Schneizel would be a little less concerned about their welfare.

Shirley kept her breathing calm, using some of her swimming knowledge to keep it at a pace. Every now and then, the cracks of light through her blindfold would disappear, then reappear, leaving the exact place of a prison she hadn't seen before a mystery.

The echoes of their footsteps were still traveling as normal, and they went through another dark passage as they grew further from the lights. Rolo shouted, and a thud ripped into the song of cursing and breathing. The air itself spun at the mercy of a powerful kick that rippled through the air like a hurricane. One by one, the grip around their arms loosened, and Shirley found herself being set free from her cuffs.

She ripped her blindfold off, finding Suzaku with a blade glowing with a hot orange edge as it sliced through the chain. "This thing can't exactly get those wrists loose, but we'll worry about that later."

"Nunnally?"

Suzaku nodded to reassure him. "Free. Along with Cornelia...And she had a few interesting things to say."

The Emperor raised his brow. Cornelia had been gone for so long that it only added to how bizarre and dream-like this morning had become. "She's alive?"

"Yes...And it looks like Schneizel has plans for the FLEIJAs to go beyond the capital. He's going to fire on every enemy nation to ensure our supremacy."

A bead of sweat rolled down Lelouch's temple. "I see. We have to get to the shuttle and send a distress signal to the palace. Tell them to evacuate and let Kallen know that she's needed."

Shirley stepped forward, shaky, but standing tall. "Let's split up. You, C. C., and Suzaku take this way while Rolo, Jeremiah and I go that way." The offer rattled Lelouch to his core, fearful that she could once again, end up at gunpoint. A knot in his stomach began to form, but Jeremiah and Rolo were more than capable...That is if Jeremiah could keep an eye on him. "I'm trusting you with her. Both of you."

Jeremiah chose to speak on their behalf, While Rolo gave a simple nod. "Yes, your majesty. Come. We have no time to waste!"

The groups split up, sprinting down their respective corridors as they raced against time. Already, Suzaku's watch was reading 11:17. A silent prayer managed to escape Lelouch's lips. "Let us make it...Just one more time, let something happen."

* * *

She stopped so suddenly that Rolo nearly tripped and face-planted himself onto the floor. Shirley stood still, fists clenched as the gears turned in her head. "Your highness, what's wrong?"

The empress was shaking her head, eyes traveling to the walls. "We're not going to meet them on the shuttle."

"What do you-"

Her fingers went to her ears. "Suzaku! We just dodged some guards. We're hiding in the back. Just launch as soon as you get here!"

Jeremiah closed his eyes and took a breath. "Your highness, with all due respect, I don't know what we can gain from doing something like-"

"We can go to the command center and catch Schneizel off guard. Once he's alone, well...I have a plan."

Rolo nodded. "Alright. Does that plan involve a way to get to the command center?" He pointed upwards, everyone suddenly remembering just how immensely tall the structure of the station was... "It's at least fifty stories above us."

His empress put a finger to her lips, suddenly clueless about all of this. "I thought the schematics said it should be above us...dammit...Wait, there's an elevator shaft around here, right?"

Jeremiah pointed, and thus, there it was. An open elevator. "You're not trying to do what I think you're trying to do..."

She sighed. "I was..." Shirley's face flushed with embarrassment once she reviewed the now-cartoony-looking concept in her head.

"If it's our only option, then onwards!" With gusto, Jeremiah strode to the elevator, thrust his hand up into the lights, and effortlessly yanked down a light panel. The power of cybernetics could truly be frightening if one took in all the factors of it. Rolo and Shirley took their turns looking up the shaft. If the situation were to be reversed and they were to fall, they'd have plenty of time to say their goodbyes to the world. "So who's going first?"

* * *

The shuttle was launched, with Lelouch and Suzaku in the front seat."Dammit! Their barriers might be up already!"

"If so...Then that means-"

"We're going to have to call for help right away. No waiting." Lelouch tapped a button on the console, and an image of Kallen came in, reclined in her cockpit as she had been waiting for the word. "Kallen! It's time! We need you to do something about this barrier!"

Some fumbling around with her mic, then her voice. "Just a squadron, or everyone?"

They needed to buy Pendragon some time if it truly was inevitable. "Start attacking from the side and chase their forces up the structure of the Damocles. I'm counting on you, Kallen."

She gave him a half-smile. "Don't bet all of your cards." Below them, roughly a couple miles below, the ground began to shake. Rumbling, crashing, then a burst of light as the ground exploded into heaps of dust. Kallen and the Black Knights were sent to dig a hole underneath the Damocles, starting their drills at the approximate border between when they would be able to detect their frames.

Were something to happen, they would be flying up under the Damocles long enough to cause some chaos before the frames surrounding it could take notice.

"Shirley! Grab onto whatever you can! It's going to get hot!" The cabin shook as a squadron of Zangetsu flew up in front of them. Lelouch peeked back behind him...and found himself unpleasantly surprised. "What!? Where is she?" Suzaku was busy steering them between the Black Knights, secretly wishing that Lelouch had taken the time to actually think about their position and timing.

"Who...?...Oh no..." The only people back there were Nunnally, strapped down tightly in her seat, and Cornelia, holding the former's hand as she clutched the straps herself. "What's the matter, Suzaku!?"

".We're turning back-"

"No..No...We won't. We can capture the Damocles in operable condition if we play our cards right. I'll give word to Kallen." Much to Suzaku's surprise, Lelouch opened the shuttle door on his side.

"WHOA WHERE ARE YOU-" He fell into the heavy winds of the sky below, and Suzaku slowed down as he darted to the emperor's seat. A peek down into the miles below, and there was the Shinkiro, opening up for its pilot. "Showoff...he beat me to it."

The Knight of Zero then raced the shuttle back to the imperial palace, while the sky exploded behind them. Shinkiro propelled itself to the nearest safe spot in the skies to better command the fleet. "Just hold on, Shirley...Don't do anything foolish.."


	12. Order

"Allyoop!" Shirley grunted, using her swim-hardened arms to lift herself up the cable. Luckily, no one had thought to use the elevator, and the battle outside had directed all of the attention away.

"Are we...Grah!...Almost there?"

"Another couple levels and we're there!"

Jeremiah gave snarled grin as he remembered hearing the same thing two minutes ago. "MR. LAMPEROUGE! I would advise you to keep your eyes focused on the cable!"

Rolo shook, trying his best to keep his firm grip. "I'm sorry! It's just, kinda hard, y'know?" He did try so terribly hard to avert his gaze from the Empress's skirt. "What's the plan once we reach the top?"

Grease between her fingers kept trying to slide her back down, but Shirley maintained a hard enough grip as she went. "There's a series of vents that should take us to the control room!"

Jeremiah groaned. "With all due respect your highness, I don't think we can go off of hints." Her palms felt a little sweaty, and they were already covered in grime from the cables themselves. Her trusted bodyguards were starting to get impatient...But if she wanted to get through this, then this was her best chance. At least, at the moment. "I must say, you're as brave as your emperor as you are foolish!"

Whether that was a compliment or a curse, Shirley pressed on, climbing a little faster with longer strides. Eh, screw it. She'd take it as a compliment. "Thanks, Mr. Gottwald!"

The next floor was coming up, and they'd have to find a way to jump from the cable to the floor. After some scrambling and a brief debate, Shirley had taken the ultimate risk and leaped across the chasm and on the edge behind the doors.

Jeremiah easily made the jump, while Rolo had thrown himself, reached out on the side and then quickly fell just before he reached the edge. In a brief moment, he felt the rush of gravity pull him down to his doom, just before his neck whipped forward as a hand snapped out to his wrist. "ROLO! H-HOLD ON!"

Shirley. And then Jeremiah, as he snatched the other hand. The three were left to their aching hands and wrists, shaken breaths, and weary legs as they fought against the angle they were propped into.

At last, he was yanked up to join them. The three leaned on one another, huffing as another shockwave shook the base of the Damocles. "I bet Kururugi's out there, taking on the Knight of One himself!"Jeremiah chuckled, in an effort to ease their breaths.

Rolo locked eyes with Shirley for a second, as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "There. You scratch my back, I scratch yours." He stood up, wiping some droplets that had fallen across his cheeks. "Yeah...If you say so.."

* * *

Within the next half hour, the battle had made significant progress. The constant hammering of fire around the launch tubes prevented any FLEIJAs from having a proper window to fire. Cornelia and Nunnally were sent to the evacuation shuttles, and Suzaku had just successfully shot down the Knight of One. It seemed that his geass was not nearly as unstoppable as he'd bragged about. "It's so close...Tamaki! Status report!"

"Well, uh...My shit's kinda wrecked so.."

He flipped another switch. "Kallen! Status report!"

"HEY!"

Lelouch cut off comms from Tamaki and listened. "We're taking out the last of their left branch, and Suzaku and I are taking the forces in the middle."

"We need to find a way past that shield! There shouldn't be any more supporting fire."

Some hammering noises from outside of her hull. "Don't forget, Lelouch. You owe us for this...You owe _me_ for this."

"You'll be paid in full. I promise. On my title as emperor." He had hardly been a suitable leader for Kallen. At the very least, they could start to make things right here.

"I sure hope so," She muttered. A little ways off, the Guren SEITEN launched forward, slashing through multiple frames and hunting for a vantage point. The frontline did their best to keep her at bay with melee weapons while artillery fired from behind. Had the Lancelot not cut through them from the back and pincered their numbers, they might have succeeded. At last, Kallen was able to thrust in her claws, prying open a gap that would've been unseen if not for the green glow surrounding the tear in the shield.

"Move in! Now!" Kallen, Suzaku, Lelouch, and a small squadron of Knightmares rushed in, barely making in inside. "Don't let it be too late.."

* * *

It was truly amazing how clean they could make the vents on one of these things. Given that was probably for a reason. She could practically see her own reflection in the metal.

Also given that this was the only one in existence that they knew of. Shirley did everything she could to keep from thinking about the cramped space too much. The control room was below them, but now the question was how they were going to get in. There were thin enough vents, but waltzing into the middle of Schneizel's men was suicide. "That wristblade still works, doesn't it?"

"Barely." Jeremiah unsheathed the torn-off end of the blade, noting a few jagged edges. "I could slash their throat if I got nice and close."

"Oh...Uh...How nice.." Shirley gulped, now feeling a little shakier at the notion of meeting Schneizel face-to-face once again. _"You reap what you sow, Shirley, you reap what you-SOOW"_

"Shirley!" Rolo shouted, reaching for her and being dragged in along with her. And Jeremiah. A whole worm-trio of bodies falling into this room, with a load of metal collapsing from behind them.

Her whole chest hurt. Her face, her ribs, and her arms ached, and she was bleeding along her leg. Rolo wasn't much better, though Jeremiah's new metal parts made the landing a little easier for him. "What a pleasant surprise. Lelouch went and shouted it on the open frequency and here you are!"

Schneizel ordered his men to take them one by one, but many of his soldiers were hesitant. At the very least, Jeremiah could do some damage, but they were surrounded...And the Prince was calm as ever behind their ranks and helmets. "You know, this could be so much easier, your highness, if you just surrender right now. No one else has to die today."

"I could say the same for you." She tried her best to put on a tough face. What it felt like was the frown she'd give when scolding Rivalz.

"Don't be so brash your majesty. Your husband has yet to dismantle our capability to launch the FLEIJAs. He has only ten minutes before his capital and every subject living there dies."

"You...You're still waiting on that?"

"I'm a man of principle, Ms. Fenette if you'd let me refer to you as such."

She glared at him, "We don't have anything to talk about, Mr. Schneizel..."

The prince nodded, taking a breath as if she somehow wasn't seeing a bigger picture. "It's a terrible thing, really. That such a young person is so naive to think they can sway the hearts of people."

"And it's even worse to see someone in the royal bloodline who is so...evil..." Her voice shook with vindication, trembling with her legs as she stood up.

"And what exactly is 'evil', your highness? Many call Zero a blight on society, yet, you were willing to shield him with your support and love. You wear those robes, you eat the food that he's provided you."

Rolo stepped forward. "Don't let him get to you, my empress. He's shielding himself with nonsense."

Letting out a sigh, the blonde prince shook his head. "And so...Ignorance endures. But not for long." Slowly, the soldiers, geass followers, and operators with free hands began to close in.

"To the end, your majesty. That's a promise." Jeremiah unsheathed what was left of his blade as they jumped. Shirley could only raise her fists and say a prayer.

* * *

At last, the Shinkiro had barreled its way inside, tearing open an upper passageway that could take him to the command center. "Continue to keep them at bay. We're wedged between them, but we'll win out if we keep this up."

Kallen's crackled voice tore through his earpiece."Stay on your toes. Schneizel might have some surprises up his sleeve."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." The signal cut out as soon as he entered the inner compartments. Walls collapsed like cardboard once he gave them enough force. Armed men and women fired at him, but any damage ceased once he moved in further. At last, he entered another hall with gaps of light and darkness. The shadows would mock him, teasing some semblance of danger. Just

as Lelouch passed a darkened stretch of wall, a loud beep assaulted his ears from opposite directions. Yanked by a force like a car crash, Lelouch gripped his levers as six barrels burst from the walls, and hammered the Shinkiro while it's shield was lowered. _"Of course! Guerilla tactics!"_

He fired an upwards burst on both sides, destroying the automated turrets. But the damage had already been done. One of his landspinners was leaning him to one side, while the other's metal casing was so torn that a chunk of it was leaving a loud scrape everywhere he went. The tire flew off somewhere if it wasn't completely disintegrated by the flames that'd been eating it.

Another corridor had gone by and he felt the frame tilt over after a massive shockwave rattled the entire floor. Up ahead, people were trying to keep each other upright as the Black Knights did their damage across the battle station.

_"He's on his toes now that we're on his territory..."_ The command center was in possible running distance but...No. He would risk it. With a hint of reluctance, Lelouch opened his hatch and managed to slide out the Shinkiro while it was tilted over the side. "Borrowing" a soldier's uniform, he sprinted past the multiple crew members that were rushing to their battle stations, be it damage control or gun turrets.

Lelouch was once again encased in a faceless, dark grey mask, on his way to meet an old sibling and hopefully, repeat history in some form. _"Seven rounds...Dammit. It looks like geass is going to be involved."_ Discretion too, with that many eyes that should be expected inside.

At last, he walked up a long ramp, grabbing onto the railing and keeping his steps in balance as he went. He slid his access card and went unnoticed as he entered, everyone either delegating or carrying out orders as Schneizel observed from the command chair.

Schneizel was talking with someone, while footage of the launch tubes for the FLEIJAs. _"Dammit...This will have to be fast." _He'd have to approach with an urgent message from his commanding officer about the floatation systems. The rank on his shoulder would be high enough to be somewhat convincing...After that, he wasn't quite sure. If there was anything he loathed, it was going in by the hip. He couldn't just ask him to remove his contacts-

Lelouch was walking forward, letting the plan come into fruition with each step when the air vent above him collapsed. Three bodies came spilling out, and they were the last people he expected to see.

"You know, this could be so much easier, your highness, if you just surrender right now. No one else has to die today." He cursed as he observed the scene. Another minute of this, and they would be dragged to the prison cells and they would be right back where they started, minus the advantage of Suzaku even being there.

Interested as he was in observing the conversation, this was dire. Someone would get shot in a minute if he didn't act fast. "...We don't have anything to talk about, Mr. Schneizel..."

He barely even had time to swell with a little pride upon hearing Shirley defy him like that. Brave...Even if somewhat foolish...Even if she was immensely foolish. There was a walkway that encircled the room, with consoles blocking the complete view of it. Light from the monitors would keep their aim fuzzy for a little while, at least he hoped.

There seemed to be an exit, but this area was being locked down as their frames went to counter his own forces in the levels surrounding. Lelouch looked up at the vents, noting how they forked up into the rooms opposite to each other. There could be some vents leading out of here...But that was unlikely. Again, geass would have to be his way out. "And so...Ignorance endures. But not for long."

He started to move towards them, letting his disguise linger on for just a moment before..."SCHNEIZEL!"

The entire crowd flinched at his sudden shout. A few of the soldiers were so on-edge from Jeremiah that they were aiming their weapons in his direction for a quick moment. Once he knew he had their attention, he ran to the walkway and tore off his mask. "Your emperor has arrived! And your forces seem to have failed you again!"

He then ran down the hall, doing his best to throw off his brother by sprinting down the corridor and firing shots at any console that came into view. It was an insane way of catching their notice, but effective.

"Go! Make sure he doesn't escape, his capture and the empress..."So urgent were his men to capture Lelouch, so few focused on the target at hand, that by the time his sentence would have finished, the crowd of armed men would've disappeared and Jeremiah would've already slammed one of the few remaining into the side of a chair.

"Damn!-" He pulled a pistol from his side. As quick as she realized it, the prince fired a shot. Jeremiah was taking out the remaining men who were brave enough to try him. She was dead center where the shot would land.

It made a sharp _thwip _as it barreled its way into her torso. Lelouch felt his entire world collapse. Everything went still, and he wouldn't notice the tears right away. They all fell, as everything went numb.

No. No, wait.

Not her torso.

Rolo's.

Her body froze. He collapsed onto the ground, frail as he'd been deadly. His geass had been one of the sole reasons he'd been able to carry out his assassination duties. Now, he'd crumpled onto the ground, and the plan she'd been constructing was collapsing around her. Stupid. She was absolutely stupid for prattling around and trying to get the slip on Schneizel. "Forgive me for this...Ms. Fenette."

Unless..."ROLO! NOW!" With a scream, he clutched his side, and all at once, time stopped. A red flash overtook the world, grabbing it by the shoulders in an iron grip, and never letting go.

She wouldn't know. At least until afterward, when her perception would fall back once the effects of his geass were over. Suddenly, he was on Schneizel. Still clutching his side as it left a crimson trail behind him. "What are...What in the..."

It had worked. She could see two transparent little disks on the ground, reflecting in the light of the monitor. Rolo turned to her, a drop of blood already making its way down his chin. "Th...Thank you..." He mouthed. Unheard before he collapsed before the prince, still trying to piece together what had happened.

When he did, a slight fury built in him. The order had briefed and given him a warning about each of their powers. He had meticulously gone over contingency plans just in case something were to happen. And yet, these kids had come in unconventionally, catching him off guard and nearly killing him. He had to do it now. This had to end right here. No more hesitation. Schneizel lifted his gun, aimed down the sights and pulled-

Schneizel lifted his gun, aimed down the sights...And looked directly into her eyes. Perhaps it was because he hadn't thought about or planned anything after having witnessed it over a half-hour ago. Or maybe it was the urgency and confusion of these last couple of minutes. But he knew now that he had lost.

"Prince Schneizel..I, Shirley J. Britannia, command you to surrender!"

NOTE: The end is coming soon guys. Thanks for reading this far~!


	13. Chaos

For many years, they had made fun of him for his lack of stamina. His inability to keep up with the other guys like Suzaku or even Rivalz. He'd always preferred planning from a distance rather than being out in the field. And now he knew why. A single mistake in the heat of the moment could result in your death, or worse. It required reaction and the strength to carry out said reaction. His muscles were screaming at him to stop and rest. The shouting men and women behind them were urging him forward and his mind was crushing him in between.

There hadn't been a vent as he would've hoped and the forking upper airways wouldn't be possible to reach unless this crowd was so kind as to let him slip up inside while they forgot they ever saw him. Up ahead, a multilingual sign directed him to an armory. He doubted that they would just leave weapons lying around unlocked, but it was worth a shot. Somebody fired at him once again. A line of bullets slipping past his feet. "Damn!" They didn't seem to care who he was. Which meant that they really were going to kill them...Which meant that the others were also stuck like this. Lelouch just hoped against hope that Jeremiah's plating was bullet-proof.

The door to the armory had a small lock that broke as Lelouch summoned virtually all of his strength into this kick, leaving almost none to run inside and look. He was out of breath, hadn't stopped eating all morning and his head was starting to spin. "This is really it, isn't it? Out in a blaze of glory.."

Lelouch chuckled to himself, as he could find no other dignified way to acknowledge his horrified frustration. He hadn't been able to fix the empire as he wished, hadn't been able to say goodbye, and now he was going to die here of all places. "Forgive me, Shirley. I'm so sorry." His eyes scanned over the boxes and crates. He managed to grab a rifle and slide the clip into place. Knowing they were right behind him, he rushed to the largest crate he could find and worked to prop it up to the door as fast as possible.

No use. The crate was only a foot in front of the door before it was knocked back further. "IN HERE! IN HERE!" Someone lifted their pistol over the crate and shot downwards, grazing his left shoulder. The padding took half of the damage. The other half came in the form of a fiery ripple through his skin and down his arm. Lelouch shouted, clutching his wound as he ran for cover. He hoped that they would be a little quicker than that in the moments to come.

He checked to make sure the safety was off and the magazine was fully inserted. Doing his best, he lifted the weapon to fire. But the roaring pain in his shoulder combined with muscle fatigue kept his arm from rising at shoulder-length. Lelouch thought of an old action movie poster of a man with a massive gun as he tried to level the weapon to his hip. They started coming in. Lelouch had to use all his might to fire even a couple of shots, but it was enough to make everyone drop behind a crate or drum. He grabbed an empty magazine on a shelf and bit down on it, screaming as he stood up and aimed as precisely as he could. The bullets still didn't hit their mark, but the explosion of fire and smoke gave him some return fire once he'd ducked back behind again.

Lelouch went to peek over the edge once more when he caught one of them, a geass order member with a broken mask. Their eyes met, he spoke the command, and the soldier's gun was turned on his comrades. Screams and cries of terror erupted throughout the room.

The raven-haired boy was huffing now, his vision becoming fuzzier as sweat rolled over his eyelids. Next to him, the second shelf from the floor was a rack of canisters. Grenades, perhaps. They were still fighting off their comrade while one of them screamed "EYES! COVER YOUR EYES!" Lelouch fumbled with canister that he now knew to be tear gas and ripped the tab free. Some of it burst into his face and stung his eyes, but he powered through and flung it into the crowd. Confusion had overtaken them. Perhaps..Just maybe...

He peeked again, the gas mixing with his sweat and stinging his eyes like hot needles. An exit. Just past two soldiers who were waving the gas away and coughing up a storm. One of them dared to rip his mask off, as the geass order had not taken gas into account with their masks. Lelouch stooped down as he ran, trying to strap it onto his face. He dropped it, and he made a noise that sounded vaguely like a curse. He turned around one last time to see the chaos that he'd caused and breathed in the fresher air in the Damocles corridors.

On an interesting note, He looked out at the overhead windows and noticed that the explosions and shaking had ceased. Next to him, a rolling, rattling sound popped up next to him. A grenade without its pin.

Lelouch ran, sprinting, but unable to put his will into the weak muscles he'd neglected. From what the prince knew, grenade shrapnel burst upward, so he needed to lower himself. His body was only halfway through collapsing when it exploded. Bits of shrapnel tore into his back. Some in his chest and ribs. And the shock had thrown him into the solid ground.

* * *

"Attention all forces! Ceasefire at once! I, Schneizel El Britannia, have surrendered to Emperor Lelouch and Empress Shirley. You are to rendezvous onboard the Damocles and await further instructions while we await negotiations. I expect all commanding officers to maintain and organize any stragglers or those in need of first-aid. That is all."

* * *

_He was fading fast. In such a short time, Lelouch had come so far...And this was what it had led to._

_He supposed it was fitting. What he could've done, he did. And he could only hope the world could forgive the atrocities he committed. That they would somehow, someway confirm the truth about Euphemia and clear her name for good. That Nunnally could now live a better life in a world that wasn't so hell-bent on destroying itself._

_That Schneizel was dead or captured in the command center above, and Britannia was victorious. But amongst all that, he hated it. That that one life...The one that had been so close to him...Was gone. Bleeding out all around him in a heap of stinking metal._

_It was funny how someone like him could've fallen for that girl. They were opposites in nearly every way. He was stoic, strategic, and someone who analyzed and commanded the world from afar. He kept secrets, in both fantastical and realistic ways, and was able to develop enough numbness to the world's horrors in order to bring about the greater good._

_She was expressive. Somebody who thought with passion and let that passion drive her in day to day life. Her participation in the world and its doings was her way of commanding it. She had the drive and discipline to become amongst one of Ashford's greatest swimmers and was honest through and through._

_And through all that strength, she held the empathy that was normal for a girl her age. Many would call it foolish. Stupid. Idealistic and unrealistic. But she was right. Passion had the power to change the entire world. The impossible was all the more possible so long as people have the will to make it happen. She most likely fell for him because of that._

_All this time, he'd been going against the world, raging against it alongside C. C., the Black Knights, and Suzaku and had built himself up from his own resources._

_No. No, it was beyond that. During those peaceful days, when they could just go on a date or take a walk down the park or study together, she'd cite the first time she saw him. The car accident, the old couple. His actions on that day were something done out of kindness. A small incident he could've walked away from or stared like the rest of the crowd and not done anything about. And yet he did. He dared to be something more._

_Just like she did. Shirley had joined the student council, taking her own time to make school a better place for its students. Her love and passion for where she was and what she was doing was a love of life in itself. In the face of such a cruel world, she took every risk up until now to change it._

_Perhaps they weren't so different after all. She'd been kind enough to love someone like him even after knowing all of his faults, and he'd had the pleasure of being hers. Time was short. Images began flashing before him._

_Milly. Rivalz. Nunnally. His siblings during their younger years at the palace below him. Kallen Suzaku. C. C. The Black Knights. Jeremiah. Shirley._

Was running up to him. She was bleeding down her leg, and tears were running down her eyes. Funny how beautiful she looked, even when she was sad. It was how the tears twinkled in those olive-green eyes.

She mouthed that nickname. "Lulu!" He listened again as she screamed it, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him softly. It was when he lifted his hand to her side, covered in blood, that he realized he could no longer feel it.

"You-re...You're here."

Her hair had fallen over him, getting stained from brushing the pool around her. "Don't talk! Just don't...First Rolo..."

Her hands were gripping his chest, tears falling onto his face. "I'm glad I could see you one last time. You've always been here...Even after all that. After I erased your memories...I took that all from you and you only gave back. Since then...You've made me happier than a man like me deserves

She was a mess now. Sobbing and unable to control her shaking. Her right eye lit up, and the glowing sigil leaped out at him. "D-DON'T DIE, LULU! I COMMAND YOU!" He fell under the command of his own type of geass for the first time. Had he been healthier, he could've been assessed what it felt like, and wrote it down for reference.

In his fading state, all he could feel was a painful yearning to live that life with her.

"This is not the end Shirley...We'll see each other again. The next world or C's world or wherever the vast universe will take us. I promise." She was choking on her own tears, letting the anvil in her throat collapse through to mutilate her body and soul.

"...I love you more than life itself."

He closed his eyes as the shadow of a knightmare frame closed over them.

NOTE: It's been a fun journey with you guys. One more to go~


	14. Love

_Three months later_

They were laughing as they packed up their things. The front yard was a bit of a mess, but it had been a great cookout. Rivalz tried his best to operate the barbecue and while they weren't charcoal-like last time, the hot dogs were a little darker than normally desired. "Thanks for having us over Mrs. Fenette!"

Shirley's mom smiled sweetly. "Well come over again as soon as my little girl can get down out of that palace!"

"Mom, please," Her daughter groaned, not quite the fan of having her status touted outside of said palace.

"Oh just let me dote on you just a little! I hardly get to see you these days!"

A devilish grin crossed Milly's face. "Can we join too?"

Without really waiting for an answer, her and Rivalz all cooed at her, joining Shirley's mother as the squashed her in a massive bear hug. "G-guys..you're crushing me.."

"Fine. Have it your way." Milly and Rivalz let go, and her mother figured she should as well. The light was fading. Twilight was coming a little earlier as winter approached, and they would have to bring all the fun indoors eventually.

Shirley leaned down and started picking up the Bean toss target, taking note to get a bucket for all the bean bags. "Let me help you clean up. Jeez, Milly can get wild."

"I heard that!"

She frowned, shouting over to the news van. "Will you two just go and get that thing out of here already!"

"Mrowr! So catty!"

She glared at Rivalz and made a cutting sign across her own neck. He winced and decided to hop into the van. "So I take it I'm going to have to stay here again tonight." His question was enough to make Milly shake her head. Like a lot of things he did.

"It's getting cold, Mr. Cardemonde. There's plenty of room at my place. You don't have to stay out there like a savage."

Another mischievous grin. "I know. I was just fishing a little."

"Sneaky bastard.." She muttered. There was a smile on her face too. They pulled out, waving to Shirley and Mary as they drove out of the suburbs and into the night.

Her mom smiled, the darkness allowing her to look a little younger after having aged so much this past year. "I'm happy for those two."

"Huh? Those two?"

Her mom giggled to herself. "Sweetheart, you go on and on about love and it's wonders, yet you're the worst spotter cupid could ask for."

* * *

She protested, but in the end, they both laughed it off as they continued cleaning up the yard. Another fifteen minutes and the food, grill, and everything else had been moved back inside. They still had a little while before she had to be back, so the two grabbed a cup of coffee for each and sat out on the porch. "Ahhh...How long has it been since we've had time like this?"

She smiled, looking out at a few neighborhood kids riding into the night. "Since before school last year I think."

Her mother nodded, taking a small sip to make sure it wasn't too hot. "I just wish things moved a little...Less quickly.."

"Oh come now.."

"I mean it! Jessica's mother doesn't have to worry about, well...All of that over there." She was pointing at the black limousines at the corner, their drivers ever vigilant. "But I suppose it's necessary. My little girl she's..she's.." Mary began sobbing. She set down her coffee cup and clung to her daughter for the umpteenth time that month. "She's become the most famous woman in the empire! I brag about you everywhere I go!"

"You probably shouldn't do that, mom." Shirley lamented. Her eyes wandered the small stones and cracks near the porch. "Those guys could still be out there."

Her mom looked around, a bit warier now as she spoke. "You mean, your people haven't found them yet?"

"We caught most of them, but a small sect managed to escape. That's why those guys are there." Shirley gazed back over to the group of men, standing by to protect them in almost any scenario, with tech upgrades from Lloyd Asplund himself.

Mary nodded, a long breath escaping her lips. "At least you're alright..."

"Yeah." She leaned in, noting the flatness in her voice. "Shirley...You..Are alright, aren't you?" Once again, her mother was in pursuit.

"Mom, I'll be okay. Things are a lot better now.'"

"But just because they're better doesn't mean less work for an Empress. If anything, she has to manage all of that on her own...You even look tired on television."

"T-The camera does tha.." Shirley yawned, feeling her blood flow shift as she stretched. "Well, sometimes it does." Concern wore on her mother's face. There had been a lot of joy, explaining, and tears upon the revelation that her daughter had moved to the highest seat in Britannian society. But with that joy came work, and with that work, Mary called frequently to make sure she was taking care of herself.

It was difficult to worry about her mother worrying over her, but at least she had her. "Whatever may come. I know one thing. Your father is proud of you, Shirley. He always wished that the empire would let go of some of its ways. When we were younger, before we had you, he used to work at a local factory day in and day out. I watched him work there, day after day, killing himself just so we could live."

Shirley said nothing, letting the weight of her mother's words build on themselves. A swelling sense of pride rooted itself in her chest and grew as she continued. "But now, that doesn't have to happen. At least, not as often. I see you and that Nunnally girl on there, talking with the new Prime Minister. He seems like a good man."

"He is. He and his wife are about to have a baby!" Last she'd seen, Villetta was about to pop, and was happy for the family that awaited her.

Mary laughed. "Well, you can tell me all about it when you make me some gran..."

"..."

Her mother cleared her throat, then sighed again. "I'm so sorry, dear."

"We've gone over this mom...I'm going to be okay. The empire will get along just fine."

"I know. I just had some high hopes...That's all. But life is like that sometimes, isn't it? But we can't linger on sadness for too long. The world isn't going to stop because we want to. We have to keep going, even if it hurts."

She patted her on the back. "You're so much like Joseph. Such grit" Mary laughed, giving Shirley a hard pat on the back. They talked for a little while longer, arranging a time when Mary would be ready to move onto the palace grounds, gossiping about family and old friends, and then a farewell as Shirley walked down the street to her limo.

Waiting there, was a cyborg, dressed in a grey suit and black sunglasses. His eyes compensated for the faded darkness. "Ms. Kozuki called while you were gone." He opened the door, letting her in, shut the door, then moved to the driver's seat. "She wanted to know when you were going to go on that hike."

Shirley nodded. "I'll see her in about a week. I've wanted to go there forever!" Kallen had approached her with an offer to see the southern Appalachian mountains. It wasn't any big trip, but they'd both been talking about needing a break from their work and figured they could put some time aside to catch up.

"Just be careful about how you manage your time. Two weeks can go by pretty fast."

|"I'm sure I'll have plenty of time, Jeremiah. But what about you? Don't you plan on taking a vacation sometime soon?"

"Perhaps. That Anya girl and I do plan on starting an entrepreneurship."

Shirley raised a brow in the rearview mirror, one of the cuter expressions she had, if the loyal servant said so himself. "And what's that going to be?"

"An Orange farm. It turns out that this whole agricultural business may not be as difficult as I thought." A snicker. And at the wrong time, too. They hit a stoplight and the cyborg turned to face her. "Is something wrong, your majesty?"

She gave him a mischievous grin. "Nothing. I just think it's fitting." He shook his head as the light turned green.

"That's what they all say!" He managed to bring to her personal flight, Jeremiah waving her off as she went before he had to drive the limousine back and return to his duties. Once the plane had taken off, he sat down, put his key in the ignition, then scoffed. "Oh...Oh, I get it.."

* * *

She was back to the palace a little later than she would've liked. Not that it mattered, but she still felt bad for making the staff at the palace work long hours for her sake. C. C. was waiting once she'd left the hangar, walking abreast as they left the hangar and into the halls of the palace. "The progress on the reconstruction in Tokyo is going well, although they're having trouble with some flooding in some of the pipes that were cut off. They're going to go through with pumping the pool at the crater's center to the sea."

Shirley nodded, yawning and stretching. "What about the Damocles?"

"It went off without a hitch. The load was a lot to get into the atmosphere, but the station and any known FLEIJA weapons burned up into the sun today at around 9:00 am EST. And no, the Geass order still hasn't been found." The empress nodded once more, her mind at that special halfway point between dreams and reality, that haze when the lights and voices around you don't seem as real as they should. At last, they reached the indoor statue, standing in front of it as C. C. stopped and waved her back.

_"Rolo Lamperouge, a protector of the throne and loyal knight,"_ was etched into the plaque. "I apologize...I should've looked a little deeper into where they were stationed."

Shirley put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out. They're not nearly as strong as the used to be. You said so yourself."

"That's no reason to lose caution. We'll be doubling our patrols along the Aegean sea and along the coast of Greenland."

"Get some rest."

C. C. blinked. "Huh?"

"Look at that. And that!" Sure they were alone, but a sudden finger on her eyelid was jarring as all hell. "You've got bags under your eyes. I know you're.." Shirley looked around, a little girl telling some classroom secret to a friend. "I know you're invincible-"

"Immortal," C. C. corrected.

"Same thing! But you can't be going that long without sleep. Take care of yourself."

"I'll finish my vacation once you see yours through all the way." Shirley felt a little stifled. C.C. Gave a smug grin, and continued. "An all-expenses-paid vacation. My choice."

There was a mountain of paperwork on her desk at any given moment. Once she'd worked all of Sunday to make Monday a little easier, and it was simply replaced with a new pile by morning."But..Nunnally-"

"Has the training and guidance from Ohgi, Suzaku and her extended family to sit on the throne for roughly a fortnight." Well, she had her beat.

"O-okay...Just make sure it's somewhere nice, alright?"

C. C. just spun around and marched away. Beaming as she hummed a tune to herself. The empress went to take her leave, when the witch's voice yanked her back once more. "Also...I...I'm terribly sorry. I haven't said it yet, but."

She cleared her throat. Smugness washed away in favor of humility. "Some of the things I've done..They've hurt a lot of people these past few weeks. I'm sure you remember...Mao."

"...I do..."

"He's my fault. It's complicated. But that shouldn't have happened."

"Lulu told me, C. C...The past is in the past. There's no use worrying about it now."

There was apprehension in those golden eyes, a lingering cloud hanging over this brightly lit room. "He traumatized you and you're willing to let that go?"

Shirley shrugged. "Bad things happen every day. We just have to move forward, or else the past will tear us apart. You know all about that, don't you?"

"I suppose you're right.." There was a single tear down the witch's face. The thing is, all of the people she'd loved and known throughout her life were mostly gone, with a smaller and smaller fraction of them being with her for only so long. Regret and pain were natural parts of her existence Apathy and emotional dissonance only came from seeing the ugliness of the world in it's full and yet having to retain some humanity through it all.

"Still...I can't just let it go." She stormed up to the empress, grabbed her hand and lifted it to her cheek. "I want you to wind back and give me the hardest slap you've ever given." Shirley looked absolutely dumbfounded, just like she had in her first few weeks on her throne. Back when C. C. would roll her eyes at the girl's ignorance before she remembered that Mao had-GODDAMMIT

"Hit. Me. I'm Immortal and I won't break or anything...Well, permanently.." Perhaps there would be a bruise for a few hours, but this girl had been through far worse than looking ugly for half a day.

She raised a brow, leaning in to verify. "But it'll still be painful."

"Of course." Instead of complying with her, the girl put a finger to her lips as she pondered her next choice. C. C. was losing her patience and began thinking of a thousand people that would've done this a long time ago. Back in the days of sword and shield, it seemed like just about everyone had beef with her.

"I've got a better idea..." A few minutes later, the two had entered the personal kitchen of her majesty. A larger, more luxurious home kitchen that overlooked the Ares Villa. C. C. remembered a TV crew touring it on some cooking channel she saw back at Ashford. They had to be given special passes to come near this place and another pass to actually enter. Here, they just walked right in. Shirley reached inside the fridge, and C. C. was confused.

"I don't exactly know what you're trying to do you're hi-" A red object came flying at her, and the witch could only stand there and let it happen once her brain had fully processed what it was.

The object exploded in chunks across her face, and some pulp trickled down to her collar. "I think I like this a bit better," Shirley giggled.

C. C. glared at the bits of tomato. Her heart toiled she staved off both feelings of hatred and love, conflicting thoughts as she wiped it away from her. The fruit had brought her so much joy so many times, and yet, had tried to drown her at, of all things, a student festival. "What's the matter? Your face looks awfully red!"

One of them sniggered. Then Shirley started laughing. And bizarre as it was, C. C. couldn't help but smile too."I take it this is your form of revenge?"

"Something like that." C. C. shook her head. It'd been too long that someone had joked with her like this. She'd been crushed and broken so many times that

"Thank you, your majesty. Have a good night, and make sure to pack. You're leaving by noon." Her advisor left, and Shirley went to her room. The light flickered on, and the empress went about her evening routine. Bathing, brushing her teeth, checking over last-minute updates, before finally collapsing on her bed.

Her thoughts had started to drift away at last, the fresh smell of washed fabric in her face when she opened her eyes just a slit. His side of the bed was empty. A pang in her chest rippled through her. She supposed it was a sort of guilt that would never go away. That things would have happened differently had she not stayed behind.

There was a small chess board that sat on the small counter. A lone black king lied right in the diagonal path of a bishop three squares down. "Hmmm." A black queen, hard as it was to see, was diagonal of the bishop by four squares. After verifying that the move was legal she captured the bishop. With a yawn, Shirley decided to finish the game after she came back and fell asleep.

* * *

Takamaki Airport, Hokkaido prefecture.

3 miles outside of Utashinai, United States of Japan

It was funny how they almost lost this place. It was a simple matter of forgetting. They barely had the time to sit on the throne before the battle, and Shirley had nearly forgotten that they still owned the land. She made sure her payments were done in secret and had made some deals with the local government to make sure this could be a special little place.

Not so long ago, this was where she and C. C. had trained. Where she had loved Lelouch and where they had lived in relative peace during that single month that the world was falling into chaos. There was a security system installed now, and there was a fence that guarded the perimeter. Should something happen out here, multiple buttons were installed and a distress signal would be sent to their forces within minutes. A huff of breath escaped her lips. Better safe than sorry.

Better safe than sorry.

The limousine stopped, and a few men stepped out to make sure the coast was clear. When it was, Shirley emerged, thanked the drivers, and allowed them to begin their watch rotation. It was far from ideal, but necessary. A trot up the stairs, a knock on the door, and a young lady in a maid outfit answered, the sunlight illuminating her face. Sayoko let her inside, and she put down her bag. Immediately, she escorted Shirley to the back room. "Lulu..."

There he was. Still sleeping in that bed they'd shared together. His body was riddled with a few scars and it'd been a hell of a battle to keep him stable during the first week. But the worst was over. "He stayed up late last night, reading some of the books you've sent."

"Of course he did," She smiled. Always trying to keep occupied. So much like him. She leaned over and took out a scrunchie from her pocket.

"What are you-" She shushed Sayoko, smiling as she leaned over and managed to snatch a decent-length tuft of Lelouch's hair. Fingers swift, and the prince's deep sleep, she'd succeeded in giving him a side-ponytail. Not perfect, but just as she liked it.

He finally grumbled and awoke, a flowery scent catching his nose. And a brush of hair. And the ponytail on the side of his head being bobbed also helped a little. "Lulu...Good morning."

Lelouch smiled. "So...They've cut you loose long enough to come out here?"

"How are you feeling?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"No. My name is Lelouch."

Shirley frowned but lit up again. "Perhaps it should be...Leloucha."

"Lelouch...a?" It was then that he felt the weight of the tail on his side, and let loose a long exhale. "Perhaps they should."

"I mean, you look so beautiful!" She played with it once again. In that house on the countryside of Hokkaido, the couple fooled around and bickered as the grass and trees were touched by the summer sun. Soon, his healthy state would be revealed to the public, and then everyone would know their emperor had returned.

But for now, they laughed and loved. Alive and happy.

* * *

_"Guess what papa!? Someday when I grow up, I'm going to be your wife!"_

_"Oh, that's very sweet of you honey...But your teacher told you, didn't they?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Someday you'll meet the man you really love."_

_"More than I do you?"_

_"Hm...It's hard to explain...Well...If you truly love that person, and he cares for you just as much, then that would make me the happiest father on earth."_

And somewhere, that father was smiling.

The End.

* * *

NOTE: And with that, my epic ends. This story went through multiple drafts and revisions, leading to it taking just over a year to actually finish. Thank you all for reading this! It made the work worthwhile indeed. there are a few more stories on the way that will be set in this universe. Rivalz x Milly, Suzaku x Euphy, and a ship that should be an...Interesting match indeed. Code Geass has become my favorite anime of all time, and I wanted to do justice and make a happy ending for everyone's favorite mastermind, Lelouch, and best girl. Something to fill the gap of the sadness that the actual series brings about for them.

Again, thank you and have an awesome day~


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